Turkey may conduct military operations in Syria if regime attacks continue: Erdogan

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Friday that Turkey may launch cross-border operations in Syria if  regime forces continue attacking the northwestern province of Idlib,  the last rebel bastion in the country.  

Launched in December, the Syrian regime intensified its attack on Idlib province last week, capturing several towns and villages including the key town of Maaret al-Numan on Tuesday, a stronghold of the uprising that began nine years ago. 

The city was under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadists, including former al-Qaeda fighters.  

Emboldened by their recent gains, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allied groups also took control of several other places in neighboring Aleppo province on Thursday.  

“We will not allow the regime’s cruelty towards its people, which is attacking and causing bloodshed,” Erdogan reportedly told provincial heads of his ruling Justice and Development (AKP) party at a meeting in Ankara. 

Turkish media reported on Friday night the deployment of armored vehicles to Hatay province on the Syrian border. 

“Turkey in complete sincerity wants Syria’s stability and security, and to this end, we will not shy away from doing whatever is necessary including using military force,” Erdogan added.   

Ankara “could not stand by as mere spectators as new threats come towards our borders,” Erdogan warned, referring to the recent advances by regime forces and a new wave of Idlib civilians fleeing towards the Turkish border. 

Syria was also “continuously threatening our country with migration,” he stated, referring to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people since December.  

Ankara-Damascus relations have been thorny since the Syrian uprising began in 2011, with Turkey blasting Syria’s killing of its own people.

Turkey currently backs tens of Syrian groups opposed to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, providing them with provided logistical, political, military and financial support. It has also used them in its cross-border operations against Kurdish forces in northern Syria.

Assad’s forces have been supported by Russian air power in recent attacks, angering Turkey. 

In a rare critical remark of his ally, Erdogan accused Russia on Wednesday of failing to honor its ceasefire agreements in northern Syria. It came a day after the Moscow-backed Syrian regime retook a key rebel-held town with  the help  of Russian air cover.

 “We had some meetings with Russia in Sochi and Astana that produced some agreements [on Idlib]. We will faithfully continue to implement them should Russia stick to the agreements as well,” Erdogan told journalists on his way home from a three-day visit to Africa,  Hurriyet reported.    

The Sochi and Astana agreements of 2017 and 2018 aimed at de-escalating the conflict in Idlib- the country’s last opposition holdout. However, both deals have failed to prevent clashes between the rebels and government forces. 

“Unfortunately, Russia is not abiding by the deals of Astana and Sochi,” added Erdogan, who has rarely criticized Russia since the two countries’ 2016 rapprochement.