MESOPOTAMIA NEWS : Russian & Regime Airstrikes on Idlib Province

By Scott Lucas – eaworldview – 5 Sept 2018 – Russian and Assad regime warplanes bombed Idlib Province, the last major opposition-held area of Syria, on Tuesday.The strikes were near Jisr al-Shughour, in northwest Idlib close to the Turkish border. Local sources said at least 13 civilians were killed.Observers speculated on motives for the assault inside the “de-escalation zone”, proclaimed by Russia, Turkey, and Iran last year. Some saw a response by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Donald Trump’s Monday tweet, “President Bashar al-Assad of Syria must not recklessly attack Idlib Province.” Others spoke of a signal ahead of Friday’s meeting of Putin with the Iranian and Turkish Presidents in Tehran.

There was no sign — yet — that the bombing was the start of a pro-Assad ground offensive to reoccupy the province with an estimated 3 million people, about half displaced from other parts of Syria.

Russia, Iran, and the Assad regime have been putting out disinformation and applying political pressure for an assault. On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met Bashar al-Assad in Damascus and spoke of “cleaning out” Idlib. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov repeated his call to “liquidate terrorists”, removing a “festering abscess”.The Assad regime’s “Reconciliation” Minister Ali Haidar told Russian State outlet Sputnik, “Military action is more likely than reconciliations” because of the large number of fighters in Idlib, western Aleppo, and northern Hama Provinces.

A Russian-regime offensive has been checked so far by Turkish opposition. Ankara’s military forces moved alongside rebels through northwest Syria from August 2016, initially pushing out the Islamic State and then taking much of the Kurdish canton of Afrin.

On two occasions last month, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu held off Lavrov’s pressure, saying that while “terrorists” should be removed, this should not by bombing and a ground assault. UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said yesterday that he understands the Assad regime has set a deadline of September 10 for rebel capitulation to avoid an offensive.

Putting aside Trump’s tweet, the White House appeared on Tuesday to accept an offensive with conventional air and ground attacks. “If President Bashar al-Assad chooses to again use chemical weapons, the United States and its allies will respond swiftly and appropriately,” Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said. She did not extend the warning to non-chemical attacks.

US Ambasssador Nikki Haley said the Security Council will discuss the situation on Friday.The Kremlin dismissed Washington again on Tuesday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Idlib is a “nest of terrorism”: “We know that Syria’s armed forces are preparing to resolve this problem.”

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi marched in step, “Terrorist groups have mixed with the people. They are using people as human shields.”  www.mesop.de