EghtesadOnline: A top Russian general said troops from Iran will join with Turkey and Russia in securing four safe zones in Syria under an initiative aimed at shoring up a shaky cease-fire, even as Syrian rebel groups are resisting the plan because they oppose an Iranian role.

EghtesadOnline: Syria's armed opposition on Thursday rejected a Russian plan to create safe zones in Syria, calling it a threat to the country's territorial integrity, and said it would also not recognize Iran as a guarantor of any ceasefire plan.