Turkey Talking to All Parties in Syria to Prevent Idlib Offensive

Lull in airstrikes, but no deals announced yet

Following a failed attempt to get Iran and Russia to stop supporting the Idlib offensive in Syria, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry says that they have contacted the foreign ministers of several countries and are in touch with “all actors” trying to forge another ceasefire in Idlib.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Turkey continues to support targeted operations against al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front. They oppose offensives against the other factions, and accused Syria of plotting to kill everyone.

Details on how these efforts are going is unclear, and there is no sign a ceasefire deal is about to be announced. In recent days, however, the airstrikes against Idlib have slowed substantially, which is raising questions about what Syria’s plans are.

As the last rebel-held territory in the country, Syria’s plans for Idlib are to take it back over, reuniting the country. The Syrian government has not confirmed a ground offensive, let alone a timeline for one, however. The expectation was that an offensive was imminent, but talks continue to take place on multiple levels.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.