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Turkey’s alliance of convenience with Russia and Iran on resolving conflict in Syria was always suspect.
Erdogan is a ruthless despot. Moscow and Tehran know the risks of dealing with a figure concerned only about his own self-interest – with longstanding designs on annexing northern Syrian territory bordering Turkey.
Time and again, he proved he can never be trusted, earlier allying with ISIS against Assad.
Putin once accused him of selling stolen “oil from ISIL-controlled territories…delivered to the territory of Turkey on an industrial scale.”
Ankara earlier supplied sarin gas to al-Nusra terrorists in Syria. He let anti-Syrian jihadists pass freely back and forth across Turkey’s border, granting them safe haven in its territory.
He reportedly supplied al-Nusra terrorists with around 200 drones to use against Syrian forces in the upcoming ground offensive to liberate Idlib province, likely also supplying them with other weapons.
He’s no supporter of regional peace or Syria’s sovereign independence and territorial integrity.
On Tuesday, Mike Pompeo spoke to his Turkish counterpart Melvut Cavusoglu, discussion focusing largely on Idlib.
A joint statement by both officials called “any Assad military offensive (to liberate Idlib from terrorists controlling the province) unacceptable, (a) reckless escalation of the conflict in Syria.”
The statement shows Erdogan is allied with Washington and NATO against restoring peace and stability in Syria. On September 5, Iran’s Press TV reported the following:
“Idlib…hosts Turkish-backed militants fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.”
Liberating Idlib and all of northern Syria foils Erdogan’s aim to annex its territory bordering Turkey.
He’s no “guarantor” of ceasefire in Syria along with Russia and Iran. Nor does he seek an end conflict in its 8th year with no prospect for resolution as long as Trump regime hardliners, NATO, Israel and Ankara want it continued endlessly for regime change.
Separately, the IDF admitted supplying weapons, munitions, cash, and other material support to terrorists operating along the Israeli/Syrian border.
An Israeli border area field hospital treats wounded jihadists, earlier visited by Netanyahu, showing support for these cutthroat killers.
On Tuesday, IDF chief of staff General Gadi Eisenkot told Netanyahu regime security cabinet officials and Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee members that Israeli armed forces are maintaining full combat readiness for war.
Will Israel ally with Washington to try undermining the planned Syrian ground offensive to liberate Idlib, greatly aided by Russian air power?
According to Fars News on Tuesday,
“Israeli military leaders are telling the press that they intend to escalate their strikes against Syria (anywhere in the country), particularly against so-called Iranian-linked targets, in the days to come, and that they intend to do so even if they violate deals with Russia in some cases.”
On Friday, Security Council members will meet again on Syria, focusing mainly on Idlib.
When Russian, Turkish and Iranian presidents meet later this week in Tehran, Idlib will be one of the key issues discussed.
Ahead of the meeting, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the following:
“The situation in Idlib continues to be a subject of particular concern to Moscow, Damascus, Ankara, and Tehran.”
“The fact is that there is a hotbed of terrorism there, a fairly large group of terrorists has settled there. Of course, this leads to general destabilization.”
“This undermines attempts to re-introduce political and diplomatic regulation.”
“It’s undoubtedly necessary to deal with this problem (in Idlib). We know that the Syrian Armed Forces are preparing to solve this problem” – to be greatly aided by Russian airpower already involved.
Eliminating US-supported terrorists in Idlib and elsewhere in Syria is Damascus’ resolve, supported by Russia and Iran.
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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected].
His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
