The M4 runs from Latakia to Saraqib, where it intersects with the "International Road" M5.[1][2] It also connects Arihah and Jisr al-Shughur. Its length is 120 kilometres (75mi). Assuming that it shares 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.
Technical Specifications
The road begins at the Al-Yaarubiyah border crossing as a two-lane expressway. In some towns and villages, it is divided by a median strip. The M4 crosses the Qara Qozak Bridge and continues towards important cities as a two-lane expressway, such as Manbij and Al-Bab (Aleppo). Upon reaching the Abu Zindin border crossing, the road becomes 4-lanes expressway, divided by a Jersey barrier until it intersects with the Aleppo-Raqqa Road, designated M15. Travelers can exit Aleppo via the eastern Aleppo bypass, also known as the Airport Road or the Ramouseh Highway, to reach the M5, the main road connecting Aleppo to the Nasib border crossing. Here, the road is divided into three lanes in each direction, divided by a Jersey barrier, until Saraqib. The M4 then continues as a two-way highway, divided by a median strip, until Ariha. Some sections of the road are two-way. They are separated by a rise in the roadway.
Here, beyond the Ariha Bridge, the Jersey barrier marks the western edge of the city. This portion of the highway, constructed in 2008 and opened to public in 2011 by the Kuwaiti Al-Kharafi company in cooperation with the Syrian Ministry of Transport to very high international standards, ends at the Al-Bassa interchange in Latakia, where it intersects with the M1-M20 highway. This section of the road has three lanes in each direction, bisected by a long, cast-in-place Jersey barrier. These specifications allow for a high speed of up to 130 kilometers per hour. The road also includes numerous bridges connecting it to several cities and villages, such as Jisr al-Shughur, Salanfah, Al-Haffah and others.
In July 2025, the highway in Latakia governate was closed for maintaining 6 kilometers of the highway and repairing bridges, such as B46, which damaged by the remnants of the fallen Bashar Al-Assad.
After the victory of the Syrian revolution, remnants of the former regime damaged the road, blowing up sections of it and some bridges, including Bridge B46, which was rendered unusable, along with a section of the highway it crossed. As a result, the Ministry of Transport closed this section, forcing travelers to use a detour on the old Aleppo - Latakia Road (Route 4 according to the old Syrian road numbering system), a 6-kilometer stretch.[7]
On January 20, 2026, the Minister of Transport, Engineer Ya'rub Badr, visited the closed section of the motorway, which was being repaired by the contracting companies and the General Authority for Road Transport. He promised to reopen the motorway, at least partially, before the start of the tourist season in Syria.
The road from Aleppo to the Yarubiyah crossing was not entirely under the control of the Syrian government, as northern Hasakah and the Ain al-Arab region are still under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces; therefore, the road from Aleppo to the Yarubiyah crossing is cut off. Since Feb 2, 2026, the road has become open to public as the Internal Security Forces enters Kobani and Al-Hasakah city.
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