Rebels in Syria's Idlib vow to continue fight

Beirut: The dominant alliance in Syria’s last major rebel stronghold of Idlib province said Sunday it would continue to fight, hours before a deadline for the extremists to withdraw from a planned buffer zone.

“We have not abandoned our choice of … fighting towards implementing our blessed revolution,” said Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, an alliance led by Al Qaida’s former Syrian affiliate.

HTS did not say whether it agreed with or rejected a Russian-Turkey deal agreed last month to set up the demilitarised area around the northwestern region of Idlib to stave off a regime assault.