The main jihadist alliance in Syria’s Idlib region reached a deal on Thursday, ending days of deadly fighting with rival rebels and extending its influence over the whole rebel enclave. Since September, Idlib has been shielded from a threatened government offensive by a precarious truce agreed between government ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said Thursday’s deal saw the whole rebel enclave come under HTS administrative control. On Wednesday, a deal between HTS and rival rebel commanders saw the jihadist-led alliance take control of two parts of Idlib, Sahl al-Ghab and Jabal Shahshabo. Last week, HTS seized dozens of villages from another NLF faction in the northeast of the enclave.

Source: Egypt Independent January 10, 2019 11:48 UTC