Iranian officers withdraw from Syria’s Tall Rifaat, object Russia, Turkey deal

Iranian officers have withdrawn from Tall Rifaat in the northern countryside of Aleppo and headed to al-Zahraa following a disagreement over a Russian offer to hand over the area and its surroundings to Turkish forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

During the Russian-Turkish talks, it was agreed that the hand over would take place in exchange for a Syrian opposition withdrawal from the triangle of west Jesr al-Shugur in the northeastern countryside of Latakia.

The withdrawal of the Iranian officers coincided with the arrival of Russian military vehicles, accompanied by Assad regime vehicles to the Tall Rifaat area.

According to the observatory, consultations are underway over the completion of the opening of Gaziantep road, which connects Turkey to the southern border of Syria with Jordan, and ending the presence of the Kurdish Forces in the northern countryside of Aleppo after their withdrawal from Afrin.

The observatory report added that the agreement provoked the Iranian side following its previous refusal in March 2018 of the entry of Turkish forces and opposition factions to the Tall Rifaat area.

It added that talks are still underway between the Russians and Iranians to reach a consensus about this new deal.