Russia, Iran, Türkiye agree to urge dialogue between Syria's government, rebels

Russia, Iran and Türkiye  have agreed to urge the Syrian government and opposition forces to hold talks as fighting between the two sides has flared up in recent weeks. The agreement came in a meeting of foreign ministers of the three countries in the Qatari capital Doha on Saturday.

Russia and Iran have backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while Turkiye has supported some of the anti-government forces. The opposition forces have made major advances over the past few weeks, taking advantage of the conflicts in Lebanon. On Saturday, the rebels claimed to have advanced to within 20 kilometers from the southern gate of the capital, Damascus.