The M4 Motorway is a highway in north-west
Syria, which runs parallel with its
northern border with
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
.
The M4 runs from
Latakia to
Saraqib
Saraqib ( ar, سَرَاقِب, Sarāqib also spelled Saraqeb) is a city in northwestern Syria, administratively belonging to the Idlib Governorate, located east of Idlib. During the course of the Syrian Civil War, the city fell into rebel forces ...
, where it intersects with the "International Road"
M5.
It also connects
Arihah and
Jisr al-Shughur
Jisr ash-Shughūr ( ar, جِسْرُ ٱلشُّغُورِ, jisr aš-šuġūr, , also rendered as ''Jisser ash-Shughour'' and other spellings), known in antiquity as Seleucobelus ( el, Σελευκόβηλος, translit=Seleukóbēlos), is a city in ...
. Its length is . Assuming that it shares some 60 km with the M5, it arrives until
Aleppo, and from there, it has been expanded as a two-lane expressway that continues further east into the
Iraqi border, ultimately reaching its destination at
Mosul
Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second larg ...
.
In October 2019, the highway became a warzone, as
Turkish-backed Syrian rebel forces advanced into the Kurdish-controlled region of
Rojava
The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), also known as Rojava, is a de facto autonomous region in northeastern Syria. It consists of self-governing sub-regions in the areas of Afrin, Jazira, Euphrates, Raqqa, Tabqa, ...
. Civilians have been killed near the motorway. Turkish media also reported that it was the goal of the
2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria
The 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, code-named Operation Peace Spring ( tr, Barış Pınarı Harekâtı) by Turkey, was a cross-border military operation conducted by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and the Syrian National Arm ...
to reach the M4 highway in the
Turkish occupation of northern Syria.
On 25 May 2020, the highway was reopened for the first time in seven months since October 2019 in northeastern Syria, after Russian mediation to reopen parts of the road
captured last year by Turkish-backed opposition fighters.
See also
*
Transport in Syria Transport in Syria is possible by rail, road, air or rivers, both public and private. Syria is a developed Asian country with a well-developed rail network (2,052 km) and a highway system (782 km). Main international airport is the Damasc ...
*
Idlib demilitarization (2018–2019)
References
{{reflist
Roads in Syria