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BEIRUT – Latest news on developments in Syria (local time):
1:50 p.m.
The Syrian Foreign Minister said it was "impossible" for his government to abandon the "vital part" of eastern Syria, rich in oil, controlled by Kurdish forces backed by the United States.
Walid al-Moallem said that the eastern shores of the Euphrates would be the next target of the government, once the situation in Idlib province, rebel-controlled northwestern, would be settled.
A Russian-Turkish agreement on Idlib has prevented a total offensive against the province, which has 3 million inhabitants.
Al-Moallem said Monday that US-backed Kurdish forces "must decide what they want" and abandon the "illusions" that they will have a federal system. He says that the government is determined to put all Syria under its control.
About 40% of Syria remains out of Damascus now. The eastern part is controlled by Syrian Kurdish-backed and Kurdish-backed democratic forces, which have driven out militants from the Islamic State.
1:35 p.m.
A senior Syrian opposition official said that he hoped that the Russian-Turkish agreement that allowed to avoid a government offensive on the province of Idlib, under the control of rebels, to become a stepping stone for negotiations on an inclusive political transition.
Ahmed Tumah, who heads the opposition – backed opposition – backed Turkish government, said the rebels had respected their part of the deal by removing their heavy weapons from the demilitarized zone.
According to the agreement reached last month between Russia and Turkey, a demilitarized zone free of radical groups must be created Monday between the stronghold of the rebels and the Syrian government forces.
Tumah says the agreement has no timetable and will continue until we find a successful political solution. He hopes that this will result in a complete ceasefire. He spoke in Istanbul.
1:30 p.m.
United Nations personnel crossed a reopened crossing point between Israel and Syria for the first time since the closure of the crossing because of the nearby civil war.
The UN oversaw the reopening ceremony on Monday of the Quneitra crossing in the Golan Heights held by the Israelis. The crossing was closed in 2014 after rebel groups settled in the area, chasing the US force.
Syrian forces took over the Quneitra region in July. The US military has been monitoring a military disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria since 1974. The reopened crossing will for the moment be used exclusively for US military forces, the Israeli army said.
Colonel Jonathan Conricus, spokesman for the Israeli army, said that US forces were taking positions on the Israeli side and redeploying to headquarters on the Syrian side.
Israel seized the Golan Heights during the 1967 Middle East War.
24:30
The Syrian Foreign Minister said his country would give his ally, Russia, time to assess whether Turkey and the Syrian armed opposition had fulfilled their share of the ceasefire agreement. the fire concluded in the province of Idlib.
The negotiated agreement between Russia and Turkey last month helped to avert a Syrian government military offensive against the rebel-held province, the largest remaining fortress for rebel fighters and radical groups in Afghanistan. Syria.
As part of the agreement, rebel groups have already withdrawn their heavy weapons from a buffer zone between Syrian government forces and their stronghold.
On Monday, the radical groups, which are the most dominant in the enclave, must evacuate the demilitarized zone.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said on Monday that the Syrian government wants Idlib to regain control, but prefers reconciliation over military action.
11:50
The Iraqi Foreign Minister said that Syria should not be isolated from its Arab neighbors and paid homage to Damascus for remaining "strong" and united in the face of many adversities.
Ibrahim al-Jaafari spoke Monday during a visit to the Syrian capital. He added that Syria must find its way back into the Arab fold.
The Arab League, composed of 22 members, suspended Syria's membership following the outbreak of the civil war in 2011, which was followed by sanctions and the break-up of diplomatic relations.
Al-Jaafari added that "no one should isolate Syria" and that he advocated a dialogue to restore links.
Nearly 450,000 Syrians were killed in the war and the country was devastated by the violence that resulted in the involvement of foreign military from regional and international powers as well as militias and foreign militants.
Al-Jaafari said that Syria and Iraq had defeated the group of Islamic states, which now control only small pockets in Syria.
11:30 am
The official Syrian news agency reported that hundreds of Syrian refugees had left neighboring Lebanon to settle in the country.
According to SANA, buses carrying returnees arrived at Syrian border posts on Monday. This is the fifth group of refugees to return home from Lebanon. The English-language Lebanese newspaper Daily Star announced that more than 800 people were entering Syria.
The Syrian government has called on the refugees to return home, saying the war has calmed down. Last week, President Bashar Assad granted the general amnesty to army deserters, with the aim of increasing the number of refugees returning home. US officials say it's too early for an organized mass return.
10:45
A vital border crossing between Syria and Jordan has reopened for the first time in three years, promising to restore trade and travel between the two countries.
Another crossing for US observers along the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights has also reopened on Monday. The Syrian public television showed the Syrian flag lifted at the border which has been closed for four years because of the fighting.
The Quneitra border post will only be open for US observers, who are stationed on-site to monitor a cease-fire between the two countries since 1974. But observers have left the post because the civil war in Syria has Made it dangerous.
At the Naseeb border crossing, dozens of private cars are lining up from Jordan. Security personnel and dogs searched the vehicles.
10 hours
Jordan and Syria have agreed to reopen a vital border crossing between the two countries, three years after the commercial lifeline fell to rebel groups and traffic was halted.
Israel also announced Sunday that the Quneitra border crossing with Syria would be reopened Monday to US observers, four years after its closure due to fighting.
The reopening of the crossing points is a major encouragement to the Syrian government, wanting to make it clear to its citizens and to the world that it is emerging victorious from the bloody conflict and starting to restore vital services and relationships. . In eastern Syria, state television announced that its broadcast had been sent back to the city of Deir el-Zour, seven years after its arrest, when armed groups took control of the city. region.
