Iranian-Brokered Truces Start in Three Syrian Towns
Two-day cease-fires begin as Iranian foreign minister arrives in Damascus for talks with President Assad
Syria's deputy foreign minister Faisal Muqdad (L) welcomes Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif upon his arrival at Damascus international airport on Wednesday. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES
An Iranian-brokered cease-fire between Syrian rebels and pro-regime forces went into effect in three towns Wednesday, as Tehran flexed its diplomatic muscles in a bid to establish itself as an international mediator in efforts to end the country’s civil war.
If the 48-hour truces hold, they could herald negotiations for longer cease-fires in Zabadani, a suburb of the capital Damascus, and two towns in northwestern Idlib province.
Iran’s diplomacy in Syria follows its landmark deal last month with the U.S. and five other Western powers to limit its nuclear program in exchange for a lifting of economic sanctions by the U.S., the United Nations and the European Union.
In arranging the truces, Iran negotiated directly with the influential Syrian rebel faction Ahrar al-Sham, sources close to the militant group said. If confirmed, it would indicate how marginalized officials in Mr. Assad’s regime have become in efforts to wind down the war, now in its fifth year.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif arrived in Damascus Wednesday and headed straight for talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Mr. Zarif was in Beirut earlier in the day for a meeting with Lebanon’s defense minister.
Iranian state media has said Tehran plans to present a plan to the United Nations to endthe Syrian conflict. The U.N. has led numerous attempts to orchestrating truces in the war, which has so far killed 250,000 people.
Wednesday’s truce focuses on Zabadani, which sits along the highway that links Damascus and the Lebanese border.
It has been under the control of antigovernment rebels from Ahrar al-Sham since 2012, but last month regime forces launched an offensive to retake it. To divert pressure on the town, Ahrar Al Sham and other rebel factions attacked two regime-held towns in Idlib province.
Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite military and political movement that has supplied fighters to the Assad regime, said Wednesday the cease-fire deal was reached after its fighters and the Syrian army advanced to the center of Zabadani.
Iranian-Brokered Truces Start in Three Syrian Towns - WSJ