Turkish army vehicles and military personnel are seen near the Turkish-Syrian border on October 12, 2019. IMAGE: Reuters / Murad Sezer
Militants in the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib are preparing to launch a large-scale offensive against the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) on two different fronts with direct support from the Turkish military, RusVesna.SU reported on June 12.
According to the Russian news outlet, the militants, led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), will attack in northwestern Hama and northern Lattakia.
Click to see full-size image.
In preparation for the offensive, the Turkish military stepped up ammunition shipments to the militants. At least 12 trucks loaded with shells and rockets arrived in the town of al-Bara in southern Idlib from Turkey through the Kafer Lusin border crossing.
“To justify the offensive, pro-Turkish militants will resort to various provocations against government forces,” RusVesna’s report reads.
HTS is also amassing its forces on several frontlines in Greater Idlib in preparations for the large-scale offensive. The al-Qaeda-affiliated group deployed dozens of fighters as well as several battle tanks.
The Russian Aerospace Forces is keeping a close eye on Turkish forces and HTS. Earlier this week, Russian drones spotted several Turkish howitzers in northwestern Hama.
Earlier this week, Greater Idlib experienced a military escalation when a series of Russian and Syrian strikes killed nine militants, including HTS main spokesman. The strikes were a response to repeated provocations by the militants.
Instead of working to maintain the ceasefire in Greater Idlib, Turkey is encouraging Greater Idlib militants to carry out even more provocations.
Turkey is waging illegal and aggressive war against Syria by all UN definitions and laws. But since the US Neo-Con’s used OTT deception (Blair and Powell’s lies about imminent threat of chemical weapons) to launch their aggressive war against Iraq in 2003, those UN definitions and laws have basically lost their value in international community. Neo-Con’s are ideological zealots and if they have to undermine long standing international conventions and laws that are obstacles to their goals, they have no qualm doing so by any duplicitous means. And today we see the result of them undermining international UN conventions and laws on aggressive war – Turkey invades Syria and the UN just sits by and watches, taking no sanctioning action against Turkey.
Turks want to lose more Leopard 2s…
Oh well…
It is funny how Turkey never “attack” Kurds, we know why they are NATO/US/Zion dogs…
SAA and Russia also have to make move now or very soon, End Kurds and Turkics at once.
Turkic are Zion and Kurds are Zion worshipers.
Es el momento oportuno para que Rusia, el Ejército Sirio y sus aliados lanzen una ofensiva a gran escala en el Idlib y el norte y noroeste de Siria, con el uso intensivo de bombardeos de la aviación rusa y Siria, a lo que se deberían sumar los drones y municiones merodeadores, también si es posible el uso de armas hipersonicas por parte de Rusia. Esto también permitiría probar este tipo de armas en situaciones de combate real, y enviar un duro mensaje a la Turquía de Erdogan y a sus militantes aliados de que Siria está decidida a expulsar de todo su territorio a los invasores extranjeros. La defensa de la Soberanía y los negocios entre estados son cosas distintas, no se deben mezclar
En tus suenos
We audiences will be interested to know how the Russians react as Turkey continues to violate the March 5 Goodwill gesture. It seams Turkey emerged from the agreement feeling like they duped the Russians and have continued to act accordingly.
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Russia and Assad have been itching to take Idblib back for years now. Turkey is standing in the way. It’s clear that Russia is getting more desperate and impatient to seize Idlib for Assad. With or without provocations from the Idlib freedom fighters, Russia will always find an excuse to attack them.
We’ll see what happens over the coming weeks, but I’m certain that the Idlib fighters are not going to launch an offensive out of provocation. They are more likely gearing up for what they see as a Russia/Assad preparations to attack Idlib and seize it. In such a situation, Turkey will definitely support them as much as it could.
I can’t think of any unprovoked provocations by Idlib militants that would warrant the recent Russian attach that killed 9 of their fighters. Idlib militants and Turkey are fine with the status quo, but Assad and Russia obviously are not. Hence, we’ll keep getting accusations of provocation to justify Russia’s attacks on Idlib.
Thankfully, the Turkish military will not be taken by surprise this time (like when 23 or so Turkish soldiers were killed last year). Again, the aggressors now understand the kind of consequences they’ll face should any Turkish soldiers be harmed.