U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday warned Syria against launching an attack on the country's last rebel stronghold with the help of Russia
and Iran, saying the offensive could trigger a "human tragedy." Syrian
forces are massing around the northwestern province of Idlib, in
preparation for the assault.
"President Bashar al-Assad of Syria must not recklessly attack Idlib Province. The Russians and Iranians would be making a grave humanitarian mistake to take part in this potential human tragedy," Mr. Trump tweeted. "Hundreds of thousands of people could be killed. Don't let that happen!"
Moscow shirked the warning, as Russian warplanes carried out a number of airstrikes targeting rebels positions in Idlib province. London-based war monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), said it was the first time Russian strikes had targeted the northwestern province in about three weeks, but they were limited in scope; reportedly hitting rebel positions in uninhabited areas and causing unclear damage. There was no indication as of Tuesday that it was the beginning of a wider offensive in Idlib.
A spokesman for the Kremlin in Moscow dismissed Mr. Trump's warning about the looming offensive, saying it failed to address the root problem of "a nest of terrorists" in the province, where an estimated 3 million civilians also remain. Russia, like the Syrian government, refers to all opposition Syrian forces as terrorists.
The Kremlin said the fighters in Idlib were blocking peace efforts and threatened Russia's military presence in Syria. CBS News correspondent Debora Patta reports that Russia has explained the early morning strikes in Idlib as retaliation for weaponized drone attacks on Syrian forces by the opposition fighters.
The United Nations and aid groups have warned that a full assault on Idlib could spark a humanitarian catastrophe on a scale not yet seen in Syria's seven-year-old conflict. But Russia and Iran have insisted that extremist groups in Idlib must be defeated and are expected to back regime forces in any assault.
The warning came as Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javed Zarif met with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in a surprise visit to Damascus ahead of the looming offensive.
"Terrorists must be purged" from Idlib and Syrian government control of the province restored, Zarif said in Damascus, according to Iranian media. "Syria's territorial integrity should be safeguarded and all tribes and groups, as one society, should start the reconstruction process, and the refugees should return to their homes," he said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif's trip to war-ravaged Syria comes just days before a top-level tripartite meeting in Tehran to discuss the Syrian conflict, now in its eighth year. The Russian government spokesman said Tuesday that the Idlib crisis would be a topic of discussion at the meeting.
Read more: Donald Trump warns Russia and Iran over expected Idilb offensive by Syria leader Bashar Assad - CBS News
"President Bashar al-Assad of Syria must not recklessly attack Idlib Province. The Russians and Iranians would be making a grave humanitarian mistake to take part in this potential human tragedy," Mr. Trump tweeted. "Hundreds of thousands of people could be killed. Don't let that happen!"
Moscow shirked the warning, as Russian warplanes carried out a number of airstrikes targeting rebels positions in Idlib province. London-based war monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), said it was the first time Russian strikes had targeted the northwestern province in about three weeks, but they were limited in scope; reportedly hitting rebel positions in uninhabited areas and causing unclear damage. There was no indication as of Tuesday that it was the beginning of a wider offensive in Idlib.
A spokesman for the Kremlin in Moscow dismissed Mr. Trump's warning about the looming offensive, saying it failed to address the root problem of "a nest of terrorists" in the province, where an estimated 3 million civilians also remain. Russia, like the Syrian government, refers to all opposition Syrian forces as terrorists.
The Kremlin said the fighters in Idlib were blocking peace efforts and threatened Russia's military presence in Syria. CBS News correspondent Debora Patta reports that Russia has explained the early morning strikes in Idlib as retaliation for weaponized drone attacks on Syrian forces by the opposition fighters.
The United Nations and aid groups have warned that a full assault on Idlib could spark a humanitarian catastrophe on a scale not yet seen in Syria's seven-year-old conflict. But Russia and Iran have insisted that extremist groups in Idlib must be defeated and are expected to back regime forces in any assault.
The warning came as Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javed Zarif met with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in a surprise visit to Damascus ahead of the looming offensive.
"Terrorists must be purged" from Idlib and Syrian government control of the province restored, Zarif said in Damascus, according to Iranian media. "Syria's territorial integrity should be safeguarded and all tribes and groups, as one society, should start the reconstruction process, and the refugees should return to their homes," he said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif's trip to war-ravaged Syria comes just days before a top-level tripartite meeting in Tehran to discuss the Syrian conflict, now in its eighth year. The Russian government spokesman said Tuesday that the Idlib crisis would be a topic of discussion at the meeting.
Read more: Donald Trump warns Russia and Iran over expected Idilb offensive by Syria leader Bashar Assad - CBS News
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