Throughout Sunday and into Monday, Turkey has launched a flurry of airstrikes against the Syrian military in Idlib Province, and new ground offensives aiming to reclaim territory in the border province, to expel the Syrian government and ultimately replace it with Turkish-backed rebels.
Turkish officials have vowed to continue to move against Syria, and have promised to move against any Syrian government targets as legitimate military targets. On Saturday, 48 Syrian soldiers were killed. Turkey subsequently downed a pair of aircraft.
Syria has responded by closing the Idlib Province’s airspace, and seems set to continue to contest control of the territory. For Syria, any successful control necessarily will require the support of Russia.
Turkey has warned Russia and demanded that Syria give up the region to the rebels, while Russia has similarly warned Turkey that they risk escalating the situation out of control in trying to reinstall Islamist groups in Idlib. Syria, for its part, plainly isn’t going to let the parts of Idlib along their vital M5 highway fall without a major fight.
It’s a curious thing that Russia seems to be standing down and allowing Turkey (and Israel) to attack Syrian positions without fear of retaliation. What about those Syrian S300 air defenses they were supposed to have? The Syrians had better be watching their backs as allegiances seem to be in flux.
Not so.. RuAF took out a Turkish convoy last night. Look for more talks in a few days, there is no military solution for Idlib.
Where did you get this info from?
The 25th (Formerly Tiger Force) routed the Turks out of Saraqib last night. It’s back under SAA control. Erdogan is now heading to Moscow to whine.
Those with polished brass on hats find wars easy to plan and begin, but once began they find them not always easy to control, and what once seemed so simple a plan with success guaranteed, finds their opponents also had a plan; and so too do the fates who may choose to intervene, that turns the best laid plans of mice and men, into a war with an unknown end.
When they of polished brass on hats tell bakers, mechanics, unskilled youth, farmers, father’s and husbands they must go to kill bakers, mechanics, unskilled youth, farmers, father’s and husbands in a foreign land that they have never seen or known, why , please someone, anyone, please ask them why they go.
The evidence suggests Turkey and Syria are at war and it can only escalate. The question is how long Russia – and other nuclear powers – can stay out of the conflict. History shows that when core interests of Great Powers clash the inevitable outcome is war – world war.
https://www.ghostsofhistory.wordpress.com/
Erdogan is trying to grab as much as he can before Putin reads him the riot act, then hoping he can hold on to more of it during any future negotiations.
To paraphrase Mike Tyson, Erdogan has a plan – and needs to be punched in the face by Russia.
I’d like to see Russia take out Turkey’s heavy artillery in one fell swoop, at least any of it that is inside Syria. Might take out as many of Turkey’s tanks as well that are inside Syria, although they have plenty of old tanks they can throw into the loss. I suspect those two Russian missile cruisers have been sent to the Med precisely to enable missile attacks on Turkish heavy formations and artillery if necessary.
Read this article.
An Iranian military advisory center in Syria has urged Turkey against further escalation of its aggression against the Arab country, reminding Ankara that it has so far refrained from responding to Turkish attacks, witch let to the death of 9 Iranian.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/03/02/619948/Iran-Syria-Turkey-Idlib
Turkey has raised the stakes in Idlib but the SAA are clearly winning and it doesn’t bode well for Al-Qaeda and their sponsors. With Russian police patrolling Saraqib the M5 is back and operational, maybe next week the SAA can cut the M4 as a supply route for the Turks in Idlib.