Holding formations: terrorist attack in Syria was prepared for about a year
The Syrian Army has faced attacks by pro-American Kurdish formations in Deir ez-Zor province in the northeast of the country. This happened against the background of ongoing strikes by terrorist formations in Idlib, Aleppo and Hama. The Syrian military is confronting the militants with the support of the Russian Armed Forces. And, as a Syrian source familiar with the situation told Izvestia, the attack by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group has been prepared for a year. It is already known that high-ranking officials from Iran, Turkey, Russia and Qatar plan to discuss the situation in Syria in a few days in Doha. At the same time, Tehran has started talking about the readiness to send troops there to help the government forces.
Preparing a terrorist attack in Syria
A large-scale operation of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria has been prepared for a year, the development of its plan included media support. A Syrian source familiar with the current situation told Izvestia.
- Its development took place in several directions. The first concerned military training and the provision of formations with combat equipment. The second issue was political and media support for the militants' activities. The third aspect involved providing humanitarian and charitable assistance to the population," the editorial interlocutor said.
The situation in northwestern Syria began to deteriorate on November 27, when militants of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a rebranding of the organization Jebhat al-Nusra (recognized as a terrorist organization and banned in Russia), the former branch in Syria of al-Qaeda (also banned in Russia), launched an attack in the direction of the cities of Aleppo and Hama. Already on November 30, Aleppo and its surroundings, including the international airport, was captured by terrorists.
The Armed Forces of the Syrian Arab Republic announced the regrouping of its forces while repelling the attack in Aleppo in order to save the lives of civilians and servicemen. The agency noted that the army will strengthen the defense line and prepare for a counterattack.
After the capture of Aleppo, terrorist gangs attempted to advance towards Hama province, capturing the town of Maaret al-Nu'man. In turn, the Syrian command announced on December 1 that the terrorists' advance in Hama had been halted and the government forces had launched a counteroffensive.
The current terrorist attack is the first large-scale fighting in the country since 2020. The number of civilian deaths has exceeded 40 people, more than 120 were wounded, the UN said. The exact number of militants killed is not known. But at least 100 of them were destroyed over the past 24 hours by the country's army with the assistance of the Russian Armed Forces, said the deputy head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of Enemy Parties in Syria (CRIS), Captain First Rank Oleg Ignasyuk.
- The actions of the terrorist organization were largely supervised by American and Turkish intelligence, it happened simultaneously with the cessation of hostilities in Lebanon. The planning and targeting of this attack came from the domestic agenda, the city of Aleppo for the Turkish authorities is the basis for the creation of a security belt in Syria, which Ankara promoted earlier," Syrian expert Mohammed Nadir Al-Amri said in a conversation with Izvestia.
According to him, Ukraine has been the main source of UAV supplies for terrorist formations recently. The attack on Syria at such a moment is an attempt to strike a blow to Russia's role as well, he said.
Fighting with Kurdish units in the SAR
The already complicated "mosaic" in Syria has become more complicated with the involvement of the Kurds in the confrontation. The pro-American "Syrian Democratic Forces" (SDF), which controls the country's oil-rich northeast, announced mobilization amid a military escalation. Two neighborhoods in Aleppo with predominantly Kurdish populations, Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafiya, have been effectively blockaded since the terrorists took the city. Negotiations are now underway between the formations on the possible evacuation of Kurds from Aleppo.
The SDF also left the Tel Rifaat area under the onslaught of the so-called "Syrian National Army" (SNA), which with the support of Turkey controls the neighboring areas in northern Syria with Idlib. The fact is that Ankara, as well as the groups under its control, calls the SNA a structure linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) units, which the Turkish authorities consider a terrorist organization. The same opinion is held by Ankara-oriented Syrian political forces.
The Izvestiya source said that the KPA gave the Kurdish formations a deadline to leave Aleppo and withdraw their equipment.
Clashes between government forces and Kurdish formations in Deir ez-Zor province were unexpected against this background. This was reported by local media in the morning of December 3. The fighters of the Military Council of Deir ez-Zor with the support of the SDF attacked seven villages. However, the attacked Syrian tribes together with the army repelled the aggression. According to the Tishreen newspaper, the SDS attack was coordinated with the US side. In addition, according to the newspaper, about two months ago, the US tried to convince Kurdish formations of the need to conduct a limited military operation in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor.
Russia will discuss the situation in Syria in Qatar
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the situation in Syria will be discussed by the foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, Turkey and Qatar at a forum in Doha on December 7-8. Turkish newspaper Hürriyet reports that the Russian and Iranian sides are calling for the urgent resumption of the Astana format. At the same time, the head of Araghchi emphasized that Tehran is ready to send forces to Syria at the official request of Damascus.
Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced plans to revive the Astana format and hold a meeting of the troika (Russia, Iran and Turkey) in the near future.
On the evening of December 3, the Kremlin reported a telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan. During the dialog, which took place at Ankara's initiative, Putin emphasized the need to put an early end to the terrorist aggression against the Syrian state. Notably, the Russian leader noted the need to use Turkey's capabilities to stabilize the situation in the country. The sides agreed to continue contacts to de-escalate the situation, including within the framework of the Astana process.
Russian President Vladimir Putin
Thanks to its military and political presence in northern Syria, Turkey has significantly increased its influence on the events in Syria - a security belt has been formed there under Ankara's control. While the interim government is formally functioning, in reality the local authorities are in direct coordination with Turkey. A large number of bases of the Republic operate in this zone. In addition, Ankara plays a major role in the local economy.
In recent years, the process of normalization of relations between neighboring states has begun. Ankara has been sending signals of readiness to negotiate with the Syrian authorities.
In 2022, the first official contact between Syrian and Turkish representatives in 10 years took place. The defense ministers and intelligence chiefs of Syria and Turkey met in Moscow. In 2023, a meeting at the level of foreign ministers was also held in Russia. One of the main initiators of dialog between Turkey and Syria is Russia, which is trying to bring its Middle Eastern ally out of regional isolation.
However, the deployment of the Turkish military in Syria has become one of the main factors hindering the normalization of relations between Damascus and Ankara. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, speaking before the country's parliament this August, emphasized that the cornerstone for Damascus remains "Turkey's withdrawal from Syrian territory and an end to its support for terrorist formations."
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
Local media reported that Ankara has identified four conditions for withdrawal from the Arab country. Turkey expects the Syrian authorities to clear the territories from the Kurdish formations, which it considers terrorist, national reconciliation with the opposition and the restoration of the work of the constitutional committee, the creation of conditions for the safe return of refugees, as well as the continued supply of humanitarian aid to the opposition-controlled territories. On December 3, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated the need for the Syrian authorities to participate in a political settlement to prevent the deterioration of the situation in the country.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
