Thousands of Syrian Army Soldiers Leave De-Escalation Zones for Battlefields in Homs, Deir Ezzur

According to a battlefield source, after the implementation of the de-escalation zones agreement in militant-held regions in Syria, thousands of Syrian soldiers have headed to Palmyra (Tadmur) in Eastern Homs province.

The source stressed that the army troops and Damascus allies plan to start a special military operation in Eastern Homs to end ISIL’s presence in this part of the province and then advance to Deir Ezzur to help their comrade lift the long-standing siege of Deir Ezzur.

According to a text detailing the agreement published by the Russian foreign ministry on Sunday, Russia, Turkey and Iran agreed in a memorandum signed on May 4 to establish four separate de-escalation zones in Syria for at least six months.

The largest de-escalation zone includes Idlib province and adjoining districts of Hama, Aleppo and Lattakia provinces.

The other three zones are in Northern Homs province, the Eastern Ghouta region East of the capital Damascus and along the Jordanian border in Southern Syria.

The guarantors will finalize maps of the de-escalation zones by June 4, and the agreement can be extended automatically if the three guarantor states agree.

The agreement envisages the halt of hostilities between Syrian government forces and armed opposition groups within the zones and the creation of conditions for humanitarian access, medical assistance, the return of displaced civilians to their homes and the restoration of damaged infrastructure.

The guarantor states committed to take all the necessary measures to continue fighting ISIL, al-Nusra Front, also known as Fatah al-Sham Front, and other groups both within and beyond the de-escalation zones.