For the Syrian regime, Idlib is crucial to taking back control of the country – and even Ankara won’t be able to stop it

Source:The National Date:08Aug2018

Idlib province stretches from the outskirts of Aleppo to the mountains of Latakia. The main Damascus to Aleppo highway passes for 100km through it. Re-opening that road was one of the major, tangible achievements of the Russia-led Astana process. To allow Idlib to remain outside the control of the regime would be to allow a Turkish hand – or, worse, that of a rebel or militant group – at the throat of the country’s most vital highway.