FSA founder: Russia will reach Bab al-Hawa, opposition areas will be deducted successively

Upon his visit to Moscow and meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the Turkish President Erdogan said that the Syrian government offensive in the northwest of the country pushes Turkey to use its right to defend itself, and that Ankara will take necessary actions, when necessary.

“The attack undermined calmness in the Idlib region,” Erdogan has stated in a press conference in Moscow on Tuesday, adding that the attacks were unacceptable.

While the Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow and Ankara had agreed on steps to “confront the militants in northwestern Syria and restore normalcy”, after Syrian government forces have surrounded the opposition militants and a military Turkish observation point in the region.

The dissident officer from the Syrian army and the founder of the Syrian Free Army (FSA) Riyad al-Asaad told North-Press that he “excludes the existence of any Russian-Turkish dispute over the recent military operations, the restoration of Khan Shaykhun by the Syrian government forces and the besieging of the ninth Turkish observation point in Morek, north of Hama”.

Al-Asaad said that there was a consensus between them, by saying: “I do not think that there is a rivalry between Russia and Turkey, which was clear through their intensive meetings”.

He added that “there is a state of harmony, especially in agreeing on steps in the de-escalation zones, and the implementation of Astana agreement of which is only known to some of the military and political opposition leaders”.

Moreover, al-Asaad identified the dispute as “subjected to some small points while there is a consensus in general, as the results are notable and nothing out of it”.

According to the former Syrian army officer, the siege of the Turkish point in Morek “was expected and there is no confusion in the statements as promoted”, he also pointed to “the intervention of the Russian forces to protect it, so that the Syrian government forces did nothing but some provocative actions, lied in pictures, words and meaningless statements”.

Al-Asaad cited the attack which targeted the Turkish military convoy, which was heading to the ninth observation point, and was not endangered though, but he claimed that the cases deaths were “civilians”, saying that “there may be a breach of agreements and besieging of other Turkish points”.

Regarding the Russian attitude on the establishment of the safe zone in northeastern Syria, al-Asaad believes that Russia is irritated by that, as it doesn’t want to have “any state of emergency” there, pointing to the attempt of returning Syrian government forces to those areas, to preserve the territorial unity of Syria, but under Russia’s protection and occupation along with the Iranian Shiite militias”.

Al-Asaad predicts that Russia will “reach Bab al-Hawa” as it states, and that the opposition-held areas will be taken successively “and this is evident through the current military escalation”.

He concluded by saying that the violent offensive by the Syrian government forces is basically a Russian one, which puts “pressure on civilians by bombing cities and villages and committing massacres, so the Russian phased occupation on the areas is clear for the eye, but everyone must be aware of and be prepared for it”.