Russian airstrikes on Idlib ‘heaviest’ in a month

Staffan De Mistura also called for “protected voluntary evacuation routes” for civilians if they want to leave Idlib.

More than 350,000 people have been killed in Syria’s seven-year war, but United Nations diplomats fear the assault on Idlib could trigger one of the worst bloodbaths of the conflict.

The stance of Turkey, which mans 12 observation posts on the edges of the Idlib enclave, is critical to determining its fate, analysts say.

“Terrorists are trying to establish a foothold there with the help of foreign powers and stay there forever”, Erdogan said Friday.

On Monday, Trump tweeted: “President Bashar al-Assad of Syria must not recklessly attack Idlib Province”. Any fight against terrorists requires methods based on time and patience. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analyses from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World. The Turkish leader even recited a verse from celebrated Iranian poet Saadi: “If you have no sympathy for human pain, the name of human you can not retain”.

A Syrian woman sits on a straw mat next to children outside a tent at a camp for displaced civilians fleeing from advancing government forces near the village of Sarman in the rebel-held northwestern Idlib province, September 1, 2018.

Mr Putin said a ceasefire “would be good” but he could not commit to one because there was no guarantee that terrorist groups in Idlib “will stop shooting or stop using drones with bombs”.

What do we know of recent chemical weapons use? “We have irrefutable evidence that militants are preparing such operations, such provocations”. As Syrian forces prepare for the assault on Idlib, U.S. and United Nations officials again see signs that those internationally prescribed weapons are being readied for the battlefield. The U.S., Britain and France have vowed to take action against any further chemical attacks by Assad’s regime.

“I have a feeling that it is some kind of diplomatic fiction aimed at creating a virtual reality concerning Idlib”, Safronkov said when asked what was the reason for the meeting.

A war monitoring group and rescue workers say at least four people have been killed in an intensifying government and Russian air campaign against the last rebel bastion in Syria.

The three leaders are expected to determine the future of Idlib amid growing fears of a humanitarian disaster.

“Idlib is about a lot of worldwide power play and everyone is looking after their interests”, al-Mustafa said.

The Observatory recorded 68 air raids in the southwestern Idlib town of Khan Sheikhoun, and other villages and towns in the province and in northern Hama.

“The meetings never translate on the ground”, he said. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall.

Turkey has accepted 3.5 million refugees from Syria since the beginning of the seven-year war.

Jeffrey said an attack by Russian and Syrian forces, and the use of chemical weapons, would force huge refugee flows into southeastern Turkey or areas in Syria under Turkish control. If the militants refuse, they may come under pinpoint attacks, according to the plan.

The State Department official said the United States was continuing to engage the Russian government and military at senior levels “to make clear that such escalation must be avoided”.

Jeffrey warned of the risks of an offensive on the province and said the USA wouldn’t “tolerate an attack (on Idlib), period!” “He expects us to have military options, and we have provided updates to him on the development”. Stop Assad’s assault on Idlib.

She said much of the same on Thursday.