Conflict flares again
Russia bombs rebel positions in Syrian province of Idlib
RUSSIAN jets hit the Syrian city of Idlib with a barrage of air strikes yesterday, hours after US President Donald Trump warned such a move would be a “grave mistake”.
At least 23 strikes were reported in several locations around the opposition-held north-western province of Idlib, in what appeared to be the opening salvo of an expected offensive.
Rebels said the strikes had mostly targeted military positions of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Turkistan Islamic Party in the Jisr al-Shughour district, although at least three civilians were reported to have been killed.
Syrian government forces have been massing around Idlib for weeks in preparation for an assault on the last opposition stronghold.
Meanwhile, Russia has sent an armada of ships, including the ‘Marshal Ustinov’ missile cruiser, to the coast of Syria in the Mediterranean, prompting speculation it was preparing for an imminent attack.
“The government plan was to give the maximum possible chance for a reconciliation, but unfortunately no progress in this regards. The radicals are in control in Idlib,” a Syrian government official said.
“This is more than the usual stuff – it looks like preliminary bombardment before a major land operation.”
President Trump had warned the Syrian government and its Russian and Iranian allies against “recklessly” attacking Idlib. In a tweet he warned of “a grave humanitarian mistake” in which hundreds of thousands could be killed.
An estimated three million people – half of them displaced from other parts of Syria – live in the province, and it is expected an offensive there could become the deadliest yet in the seven-year war.
UN officials say as many as 800,000 could be displaced and that the already high number of people in need of aid could increase dramatically.
Idlib is the only major territory the rebels still control, so those who do not wish to surrender to the government have nowhere left to go.
“We know that the Syrian armed forces are getting ready to solve this problem,” Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, said yesterday, calling Idlib a “pocket of terrorism”.
Mr Peskov took issue with Mr Trump’s warning. He said the situation could have “dangerous, negative” consequences for the entire country.
The province is held by a complex array of rebels and jihadists, many of whom have been blacklisted as “terrorists” by world powers.
Analysts and aid workers say there is still an opportunity to avoid the humanitarian impact of a full-scale offensive. The presidents of Turkey, Russia and fellow regime ally Iran are to meet in Tehran on Friday for a major summit on Idlib.