Cease-fire in Syria’s Idlib “temporary”: Syrian official

Damascus: The cease-fire that was declared recently by the Syrian army in the last major rebel stronghold in the northwestern province of Idlib is “temporary,” Syria’s presidential advisor Buthaina Shabaan said.
Local media outlets cited Shabaan on Sunday as saying that the cease-fire which entered into force in Idlib on Saturday was a unilateral decision by Russia and Syria and is not part of any other understandings, Xinhua news agency reported.
The presidential advisor said the Turkish army, which entered parts of Idlib, will be “forced” to leave Syria.
On Friday, the Syrian army agreed to observe a cease-fire in Idlib, the last major rebel stronghold in the country, as of Saturday morning.
The Syrian army said it reserves the right to respond to any violation by the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, the backbone of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is the most powerful rebel group in Idlib.
Hours ahead of the official Syrian announcement, Russia’s Defence Ministry declared the cease-fire, noting that it is a “unilateral” move to stabilize the situation in Idlib. It urged the rebels to abandon armed provocations and join the peace process.