DAMASCUS, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- The ultra-radical rebel groups attacked Syrian military positions in the planned demilitarized zone in northern Syria on Friday, killing nine soldiers, a war monitor group reported.
The rebels attacked the Syrian positions in the al-Ghab Plains in the northern countryside of Hama near Idlib province, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Five of the rebels were killed in the Friday showdown, which is the latest breach to the Russian-Turkish demilitarized zone deal which went into force in September to ease the situation in Idlib and surrounding rebel-held areas as Idlib is the last major rebel stronghold in Syria.
The Britain-based watchdog group said 31 Syrian soldiers and allied forces have been killed since the demilitarized zone deal went into effect in September.
While the deal is entering its third month, the observatory said the situation is heated in the demilitarized zone as the ultra-radical rebels and the government forces are preparing for an "unclear future."
The violations are being reported in the zone on a daily basis, said the Observatory, adding that the rebels are amassing forces to protect its positions amid fears of an imminent military showdown.
The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the umbrella group of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, is also consolidating positions and fortifying its areas while opening the doors for volunteers to join the ranks of its fighters in Idlib.
The planned demilitarized zone includes areas in Idlib, which is the last major rebel stronghold in northwestern Syria, as well as adjacent countryside areas of the provinces of Hama, Latakia, and Aleppo.
The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is considered as the most powerful among the rebel groups in Idlib province.
The deal for imposing a demilitarized zone was reached in September between the leaders of Turkey and Russia, aiming at averting Idlib province from a wide-scale offensive by the Syrian army.
Turkey's task in the deal is to persuade the rebel groups in Idlib to abide by the plan as Ankara enjoys sway over the militants there.
However, the Observatory said in its report Friday that the Turkish intelligence has yet to persuade the ultra-radical rebels to evacuate the demilitarized zone as planned.
Instead, the rebels remained in their areas amid reports that heavy weapons had been either hidden or pulled out of the zone in accordance with the Turkish-Russian deal.
It is worth noting that the ultra-radical rebels control 70 percent of the buffer zone.
The Syrian government has initially welcomed the deal but noted that it was only temporary.
But with the latest violations, the government officials said that Idlib will inevitably return under the government control, warning that the situation cannot drag on like this.
Throughout the crisis, Idlib has emerged as the major destination and stronghold of the Syrian rebels fleeing other parts of the country after deals or surrender.
Idlib is now in a state of severe lawlessness characterized by assassinations, explosions and infighting.
Idlib is also of strategic significance as it shares a border area with Turkey in the north and neighbors the coastal province of Latakia, the hometown of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Notably, the namesake capital city of Idlib lies close to the international road linking the capital Damascus with the northern province of Aleppo.
Idlib is home to around 3.5 million people, including those who evacuated after the surrender of rebels in other Syrian areas.
