IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – An informed source from northwestern Syria revealed to North Press on Monday the details of an alleged Turkish military operation that will take place should Syrian government forces launch a military operation in the de-escalation zone in Idlib governorate.
The source, who preferred not to be named for security reasons said the government forces will soon launch an operation against the armed opposition groups, and Turkish forces will take part in the operation directly.
The source talked about leaks of a map from a Turkish post in Zawiya Mountain, south of Idlib, which Turkish forces will utilize in a future operation.
Turks in one of the observation posts in the Zawiya Mountain region “confirmed their strong participation in any battle the government forces may launch,” the source added.
“Turkey is now supervising the armed groups militarily and administratively since their loss in the previous battles with government forces in both Saraqeb and Nairab in the Idlib countryside.”
Syrian government forces took over the cities of Saraqeb and Nairab, on the crossroads of the two highways of Aleppo-Damascus and Aleppo-Latakia, at the beginning of the year.
According to the plan, the Turkish military will head to the north of Khan Sheikhoun, south of Idlib, reaching the northern borders of Hama governorate.
Military sources from the opposition groups did not make a statement to North Pres about these alleged leaks.
However, in a previous statement to North Press, the Syrian National Army (or SNA, which is composed of many Turkish-backed opposition militias based in Turkish-controlled areas in northern Syria) spokesperson Youssef al-Hamoud said that Idlib is the most important issue for Turkey, to the point that negotiations are impossible.
An expert in the Russian Council for International Affairs, Kirill Simonov, expected the results would be “unpleasant” for the Syrian government after a change in the balance of the forces in Idlib, the Russian Kommersant newspaper previously reported.
During a speech in the parliament weeks ago, the Syrian president Bashar Assad hinted at the necessity of the government forces to take over the remaining Syrian territories.
Since July, the region has witnessed an escalation by government forces after the targeting of a joint Russian-Turkish patrol near the town of Meseibin, southern Idlib, which killed three Russian soldiers.
Since the ceasefire between Russia and Turkey in March 2020, about 5,500 Turkish military vehicles loaded with thousands of soldiers reached Idlib, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
In May, media reports stated that Turkish forces deployed medium range aerial defense systems south of Idlib.
Tension between the Syrian government and Turkey increased in February after the killing of more than 30 Turkish soldiers in an airstrike in Idlib.