Tabnak – As the Syrian army is continuing its advances against the militant and terrorist groups in Syria, some suggestions from Moscow indicate the possibility of extending the scope of "de-escalation zones” in the country. This in turn could help better concentrate on fighting the terrorists all around the country.
Reports published by the local sources indicate that the Syrian Army troops have engaged in a fresh round of clashes with ISIS in the Southern outskirts of Deir Ezzur city, while the army aircraft bombed heavily the terrorists' positions in nine different regions near the Eastern city.
In the meantime, the army opened tank fire at ISIL's defense lines in Tamin Brigade base, inflicting major losses on them.
The Syrian Air Force targeted badly ISIS’ concentration centers and movements in Tal 17, power company, areas near Tamin Brigade base, al-Maqaber region and the villages and regions of al-Hamidiyeh, Khasarat, Kanamat, Hatleh and Safireh, killing and wounding a number of militants and destroying their equipment.
At the same time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia, Turkey and Iran, the guarantor states of the Syrian ceasefire, which coordinated the memorandum on establishment of four de-escalation zones in the country, consider that in the future this practice will be spread across the whole Syrian territory.
Commenting on the recent meeting with US State Secretary Rex Tillerson and US President Donald Trump, Lavrov noted that "this initiative was at the center of the agenda, which had been proposed by Donald Trump at the early stage of his presidency the idea of creation of safe or de-escalation zones, where there will be no hostilities, except against terrorists," Sputnik reported.
During the fourth round of Astana talks on Syrian reconciliation, held on May 3-4, Russia, Turkey and Iran signed a memorandum on establishment of four safe zones in Syria.
The four zones span the northwestern Idlib province and parts of the neighboring Latakia, Hama and Aleppo, the North of the Central Homs province, Eastern Ghouta near Damascus, as well as Southern Daraa and Quneitra regions. The memorandum came into force on May 6.
All in all, the achievements of the Syrian army on the one hand and the possibility of extending the territories covered by the se-escalation zones initiative on the other, could pave the way for better concentrating on fighting the terrorist groups as the more imminent threats both against the Syrian government and almost all of the foreign parties involved in the conflict.
