The Syrian government will recover Idlib through war or peaceful means, a minister was quoted as saying on Tuesday. The statement, by Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, pointed to the government’s determination to defeat rebels in the province despite a Russian-Turkish deal that halted an expected army offensive, Reuters said. Mekdad described the agreement as part of a wider diplomatic track that created de-escalation zones in several areas which he noted had later returned to state rule, according to Syria’s al-Watan newspaper. “As we were victorious in every part of Syria we will be victorious in Idlib and the message is very clear to everyone who is concerned by this matter: We are coming to Idlib through war or peaceful means,” Mekdad said. The Idlib region and an adjoining area north of Aleppo is the last major opposition stronghold in Syria. Under the Russian-Turkish agreement, insurgents deemed “radical” are to withdraw from the demilitarized zone by the middle of October.