(VOVWORLD) -Northwestern Syria has once again become a hotspot of a prolonged crisis in Syria. Concerns are mounting over the tense confrontation between Russia and Turkey, the two countries most influential in Syria’s developments.
 Turkish troops and tanks advance into Syria (Photo: NBCNews) |
Turkish military in recent days announced repeated attacks on Syrian armed forces in Idlib province. The attacks implement President Tayyip Erdogan’s vow on February 16 to drive Syrian government forces away from its military observation posts in Idlib region. Aleppo and Idlib, the last remaining strongholds of insurgents in Syria, are now the battlefield of a war of nerves between Russia-backed Syrian government forces and Turkey-backed opposition fighters.
Ankara’s reaction
Since late last year Syrian government troops have pressed attacks on Idlib and taken control of several nearby towns and villages. They are receiving strong firepower support from Russia, Syria’s biggest ally, who has been a major player in the crisis since September 2015.
Turkey claims the Russia-Syria coalition’s attacks on Idlib violated the 2018 agreement between Moscow and Ankara to ease tensions. Ankara in recent weeks has deployed a strong contingent of troops and weapons to Idlib and Aleppo, slowing the Syrian army’s advances. Russia’s State TV Channel Rossiya-1 said Thursday that Russian jet fighters flying over Idlib have been shot by Turkish shoulder-fired missiles.
Tough stances
Turkey and other factions who support Syria’s opposition fighters appear aware that Syrian government troops will soon take control of Idlib region. Rejecting calls from Turkey and other countries to end its military offensive against Idlib, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a Wednesday meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that concluding a ceasefire agreement would be “capitulation to terrorists, emboldening them in flagrant violation of universal conventions and numerous UN Security Council resolutions.”
Analysts say Moscow’s hard line is echoed by Syrian government forces, who in separate statements, reiterate their determination to liberate Idlib and root out foreign-backed terrorists hiding in the region.
Russia, Syria, and Turkey appear unwilling to compromise, spurring concerns about further bloodshed in Idlib. No matter who wins, the human cost of further conflict will be severe and will damage the economic partnership between Moscow and Ankara. Despite recent conciliatory talks, strategic differences threaten the well-being of tens of thousands of Syrian civilians in Idlib.