Rebels back off Shiite villages in exchange for Zabadani ceasefire - Syria Direct
▻http://syriadirect.org/news/rebels-back-off-shiite-villages-in-exchange-for-zabadani-ceasefire
Temporary ceasefires began in three Syrian towns on Wednesday as part of a deal brokered between Ahrar a-Sham rebels representing the Victory Army and an Iranian delegation negotiating on behalf of the regime as Assad supporters called for more decisive government action against rebellious areas nationwide.
The terms of the 48-hour ceasefires stipulate that the Syrian regime and its allies halt the assault they launched last month on Zabadani, northwest of Damascus and considered the entryway into the Qalamoun mountains along the Lebanese border, pro-opposition Orient News reported on Wednesday.
At the same time, Ahrar a-Sham rebels would pause their offensive on the regime-held Shiite villages of al-Fuaa and neighboring Kafariya in Idlib province, the site reported.
Ahrar a-Sham began attacking al-Fuaa in Idlib earlier this week after negotiations in Istanbul for a ceasefire in Zabadani broke down as a result of what rebel participants in the talks called Iranian intransigence.
While neither the Syrian regime nor Victory Army rebels issued official announcements confirming the ceasefires on Wednesday, aligned media sources and individual actors on both sides reported on a deal after days fierce fighting in both Zabadani and around al-Fuaa.
