Read more at: https://www.rescue.org/article/top-10-crises-world-cant-ignore-2023
Showing posts with label Crises. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crises. Show all posts
1/10/23
2023: Major crises which the world could face this year
Each year, the International Rescue Committee releases a list of the 20
humanitarian crises expected to deteriorate the most over the next year.
For the past decade, this report has helped us determine where to focus
our emergency services and lifesaving support
11/6/22
EU in crises mode?: Turkish author tells audience at Bruxelles conference that Europe is experiencing similar problems, as the US in safe-guarding democracy
Russia's war in Ukraine and the economic impact it is having on Europe have underscored an ongoing "crisis of democracy" that won't be fixed with small changes, a renowned Turkish political author has warned.
"There is real panic in Europe and I feel it everywhere I go," Ece Temelkuran, author of "How to Lose a Country: The 7 Steps from Democracy to Dictatorship", told Euronews.
She was speaking on the margin of a conference in Brussels organised by think tank Friends of Europe and entitled "Making sense of transitions in an age of crises: a Renewed Social Contract for a new era."
Read more at: https://www.euronews.com
3/4/22
USA: Ukraine Crises: Biden's Bold Gamble Might Just Save Ukraine {Opinion}
The Ukraine War is only a week old, so it's far too soon to make any judgements about its outcome.One thing is clear, though: Russian President Vladimir Putin badly miscalculated. He is facing two tactical surprises at the moment that may prove to have dire consequences.
Putin was clearly not prepared for the fight that the Ukrainians have put up to his invading forces. It's the only explanation for the logistical failures and enormous reported losses (even discounting for the obvious exaggerations): The Russian Army expected to meet a Ukrainian opposition similar to what it saw in Donbas in 2015 or even in Crimea in 2014.
But the Ukrainians have spent the past eight years learning the lessons of those earlier defeats. They have built a diplomatic network of support they didn't have a decade ago, and they have purchased arms and developed tactics to make the most of the weapons they have been able to obtain.
Read more at: Biden's Bold Gamble Might Just Save Ukraine | Opinion
Putin was clearly not prepared for the fight that the Ukrainians have put up to his invading forces. It's the only explanation for the logistical failures and enormous reported losses (even discounting for the obvious exaggerations): The Russian Army expected to meet a Ukrainian opposition similar to what it saw in Donbas in 2015 or even in Crimea in 2014.
But the Ukrainians have spent the past eight years learning the lessons of those earlier defeats. They have built a diplomatic network of support they didn't have a decade ago, and they have purchased arms and developed tactics to make the most of the weapons they have been able to obtain.
Read more at: Biden's Bold Gamble Might Just Save Ukraine | Opinion
2/27/22
Global Economy: How billionaires are exploiting a world in crisis, and laughing all the way to the bank - by Stephen J. Lyons
Divide and conquer – this strategy has worked for centuries. Americans’ full-throated participation is required as we blame each other for everything, from job losses to political defeats to the rising costs of living.
And, if we can’t condemn each other, then we can always turn on those invasive brown and black immigrants from what previous, twice-impeached US president Donald Trump called “sh**hole countries”.
Meanwhile, the real culprits, the cabal of greedy billionaires that manipulate the international economic system – and, consequently, the futures of the rest of us taxpayers – laugh all the way to the banks, which, of course, they also own. <
Read more at: a href="https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3164956/how-billionaires-are-exploiting-world-crisis-and-laughing-all-way">How billionaires are exploiting a world in crisis, and laughing all the way to the bank | South China Morning Post
And, if we can’t condemn each other, then we can always turn on those invasive brown and black immigrants from what previous, twice-impeached US president Donald Trump called “sh**hole countries”.
Meanwhile, the real culprits, the cabal of greedy billionaires that manipulate the international economic system – and, consequently, the futures of the rest of us taxpayers – laugh all the way to the banks, which, of course, they also own. <
Read more at: a href="https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3164956/how-billionaires-are-exploiting-world-crisis-and-laughing-all-way">How billionaires are exploiting a world in crisis, and laughing all the way to the bank | South China Morning Post
2/20/22
Netherlands to send military equipment to Ukraine -government
The Netherlands announced it will be sendibg military equipment to Ukraine -government
Read more at: Netherlands to send military equipment to Ukraine -government | Reuters
Read more at: Netherlands to send military equipment to Ukraine -government | Reuters
11/21/21
Poland: Belarus crisis is ′greatest attempt to destabilize Europe′ since Cold War
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki accused Belarus on Sunday of seeking to destabilize the EU by orchestrating the migrant crisis unfolding at his country's border.
Morawiecki warned about the threat to the bloc as he prepared to meet with EU leaders later in the day.
"Today, on Poland's eastern border, we are dealing with a new type of war, a war in which migrants are weapons, in which disinformation is a weapon," Morawiecki said.
Read more at: Poland: Belarus crisis is ′greatest attempt to destabilize Europe′ since Cold War | News | DW | 21.11.2021
Morawiecki warned about the threat to the bloc as he prepared to meet with EU leaders later in the day.
"Today, on Poland's eastern border, we are dealing with a new type of war, a war in which migrants are weapons, in which disinformation is a weapon," Morawiecki said.
Read more at: Poland: Belarus crisis is ′greatest attempt to destabilize Europe′ since Cold War | News | DW | 21.11.2021
10/12/21
Christianity: How Christian celebrities can avoid failing the fame test - by Leah MarieAnn Klett
When a monthslong independent investigation found credible evidence that Ravi Zacharias leveraged his reputation as a world-famous apologist to carry out years of sexual abuse, the response from the evangelical community was predictably one of shock, horror and grief.
Many questioned how this pastor could effectively masquerade as a humble servant of Christ and fool millions of adoring supporters? How could this respected intellectual who preached the Gospel of Jesus with clarity and passion brazenly manipulate vulnerable women into providing him with sexual stimulation?
Read more at: How Christian celebrities can avoid failing the fame test | Church & Ministries News
Many questioned how this pastor could effectively masquerade as a humble servant of Christ and fool millions of adoring supporters? How could this respected intellectual who preached the Gospel of Jesus with clarity and passion brazenly manipulate vulnerable women into providing him with sexual stimulation?
Read more at: How Christian celebrities can avoid failing the fame test | Church & Ministries News
10/9/21
USA: The next financial crisis is fast approaching - by Willem H. Buiter
Since early 2020, central banks across the advanced economies have had to choose between pursuing financial stability, low (typically 2%) inflation, or real economic activity. Without exception, they have opted in favor of financial stability, followed by real economic activity, with inflation last.
As a result, the only advanced-economy central bank to raise interest rates since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic has been Norway’s Norges Bank, which lifted its policy rate from zero to 0.25% on Sept. 24. While it has hinted that an additional rate increase is likely in December, and that its policy rate could reach 1.7% toward the end of 2024, that is merely more evidence of monetary policy makers’ extreme reluctance to implement the kind of rate increases that are required to achieve a 2% inflation target consistently.
Read more at: Opinion: The next financial crisis is fast approaching - MarketWatch
As a result, the only advanced-economy central bank to raise interest rates since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic has been Norway’s Norges Bank, which lifted its policy rate from zero to 0.25% on Sept. 24. While it has hinted that an additional rate increase is likely in December, and that its policy rate could reach 1.7% toward the end of 2024, that is merely more evidence of monetary policy makers’ extreme reluctance to implement the kind of rate increases that are required to achieve a 2% inflation target consistently.
Read more at: Opinion: The next financial crisis is fast approaching - MarketWatch
9/25/21
Global Warming: The climate crisis has made the idea of a better future impossible to imagine - by Ian Jack
Writing in 2003, the American environmentalist Bill McKibben observed that although “some small percentage” of scientists, diplomats and activists had known for 15 years that the Earth was facing a disastrous change, their knowledge had almost completely failed to alarm anyone else.
It certainly alarmed McKibben: in June 1988, the scientist James Hansen testified to the US Congress that the world was warming rapidly and human behaviour was the primary cause – the first loud and unequivocal warning of the climate crisis to come – and before the next year was out, McKibben had published The End of Nature, the first book about climate change for a lay audience. But few others seemed particularly worried. “People think about ‘global warming’ in the way they think about ‘violence on television’ or ‘growing trade deficits’, as a marginal concern to them, if a concern at all,” he wrote in 2003. “Hardly anyone has fear in their guts.”
Read more at: The climate crisis has made the idea of a better future impossible to imagine | Ian Jack | The Guardian
It certainly alarmed McKibben: in June 1988, the scientist James Hansen testified to the US Congress that the world was warming rapidly and human behaviour was the primary cause – the first loud and unequivocal warning of the climate crisis to come – and before the next year was out, McKibben had published The End of Nature, the first book about climate change for a lay audience. But few others seemed particularly worried. “People think about ‘global warming’ in the way they think about ‘violence on television’ or ‘growing trade deficits’, as a marginal concern to them, if a concern at all,” he wrote in 2003. “Hardly anyone has fear in their guts.”
Read more at: The climate crisis has made the idea of a better future impossible to imagine | Ian Jack | The Guardian
9/22/21
Democracy: How democracy can win again – by Gergely Karácsony
My political awakening coincided with the systemic changes that unfolded following the collapse of communism in Hungary in 1989. I was both fascinated and overjoyed by my country’s rapid democratisation. As a teenager, I persuaded my family to drive me to the Austrian border to see history in the making: the dismantling of the Iron Curtain, which allowed east-German refugees to head for the west. Reading many new publications and attending rallies for newly established democratic political parties, I was swept up by the atmosphere of unbounded hope for our future.
Today, such sentiments seem like childish naivety, or at least the product of an idyllic state of mind. Both democracy and the future of human civilisation are now in grave danger, beset by multifaceted and overlapping crises.
Read more at: How democracy can win again – Gergely Karácsony
Today, such sentiments seem like childish naivety, or at least the product of an idyllic state of mind. Both democracy and the future of human civilisation are now in grave danger, beset by multifaceted and overlapping crises.
Read more at: How democracy can win again – Gergely Karácsony
7/2/21
North Korea Covid-19: outbreak fears after Kim Jong-un warns of ‘huge crisis’ in ‘antivirus fight’
The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, has sacked several senior party officials over a “grave” coronavirus incident that had threatened public safety, fuelling speculation that the coronavirus has breached the country’s defences.
“In neglecting important decisions by the party that called for organisational, material and science and technological measures to support prolonged anti-epidemic work in face of a global health crisis, the officials in charge have caused a grave incident that created a huge crisis for the safety of the country and its people,” the state-run KCNA news agency quoted Kim as telling a meeting of the ruling party’s politburo.
Read more at: North Korea Covid-19 outbreak fears after Kim Jong-un warns of ‘huge crisis’ in ‘antivirus fight’ | North Korea | The Guardian
“In neglecting important decisions by the party that called for organisational, material and science and technological measures to support prolonged anti-epidemic work in face of a global health crisis, the officials in charge have caused a grave incident that created a huge crisis for the safety of the country and its people,” the state-run KCNA news agency quoted Kim as telling a meeting of the ruling party’s politburo.
Read more at: North Korea Covid-19 outbreak fears after Kim Jong-un warns of ‘huge crisis’ in ‘antivirus fight’ | North Korea | The Guardian
North Korea Covid-19: outbreak fears after Kim Jong-un warns of ‘huge crisis’ in ‘antivirus fight’
The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, has sacked several senior party officials over a “grave” coronavirus incident that had threatened public safety, fuelling speculation that the coronavirus has breached the country’s defences.
“In neglecting important decisions by the party that called for organisational, material and science and technological measures to support prolonged anti-epidemic work in face of a global health crisis, the officials in charge have caused a grave incident that created a huge crisis for the safety of the country and its people,” the state-run KCNA news agency quoted Kim as telling a meeting of the ruling party’s politburo.
Read more at: North Korea Covid-19 outbreak fears after Kim Jong-un warns of ‘huge crisis’ in ‘antivirus fight’ | North Korea | The Guardian
“In neglecting important decisions by the party that called for organisational, material and science and technological measures to support prolonged anti-epidemic work in face of a global health crisis, the officials in charge have caused a grave incident that created a huge crisis for the safety of the country and its people,” the state-run KCNA news agency quoted Kim as telling a meeting of the ruling party’s politburo.
Read more at: North Korea Covid-19 outbreak fears after Kim Jong-un warns of ‘huge crisis’ in ‘antivirus fight’ | North Korea | The Guardian
11/12/20
EU - Can Next Generation EU guarantee fair, inclusive recovery? – by Francesco Corti, Christian Morabito, Lorenza Antonucci and Michel Vandenbroeck
In mid-October European Union member states presented the draft national plans for reform and investment they intend to implement in the next four years, to secure financial support from the Recovery and Resilience Facility. The success of the RRF in building a recovery that is more sustainable, resilient and fairer—as in the ambitions of the European Commission—thus largely depends on the effectiveness of the mix of policy instruments adopted at national level. The commission is in charge of assessing these plans, checking whether they are in line with the priorities set in the country-specific recommendations within the European Semester, and will later monitor their implementation.
Read more at Can Next Generation EU guarantee fair, inclusive recovery? – Francesco Corti, Christian Morabito, Lorenza Antonucci and Michel Vandenbroeck
Read more at Can Next Generation EU guarantee fair, inclusive recovery? – Francesco Corti, Christian Morabito, Lorenza Antonucci and Michel Vandenbroeck
10/25/20
EU- Europe’s hidden biodiversity crisis – by Laura Hildt and Patrick ten Brink
his week the European Environmental Agency (EEA) released its State of Nature in the EU report. The grim news should alarm us all: four-fifths of habitats are in poor condition and the trends are mostly downwards. Species and habitats are increasingly under threat, from unsustainable farming and forestry, urban sprawl, pollution and climate change.
The EEA concludes that only 15 per cent of habitats are in good shape. More than half of dune, bog, mire and fen habitats, which have the capacity to store a lot of carbon, are in poor condition. Moreover, the situation for about 35 per cent of species and habitats is deteriorating, while less than a tenth of habitats with poor or bad conservation status show improvements.
There are, though, a few success stories. The Agile Frog in Sweden and the Bearded Vulture across Europe are showing improvements and the Natura 2000 network of protected areas is generally having a positive effect on species and habitats.
Red more at: Europe’s hidden biodiversity crisis – Laura Hildt and Patrick ten Brink
The EEA concludes that only 15 per cent of habitats are in good shape. More than half of dune, bog, mire and fen habitats, which have the capacity to store a lot of carbon, are in poor condition. Moreover, the situation for about 35 per cent of species and habitats is deteriorating, while less than a tenth of habitats with poor or bad conservation status show improvements.
There are, though, a few success stories. The Agile Frog in Sweden and the Bearded Vulture across Europe are showing improvements and the Natura 2000 network of protected areas is generally having a positive effect on species and habitats.
Red more at: Europe’s hidden biodiversity crisis – Laura Hildt and Patrick ten Brink
10/14/20
EU: Affordable and sustainable housing must become a priority of Europe’s recovery plan
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed many cracks in our society, from the
unequal and unprepared public health policies to the dramatic lack of
social cohesion. A particular issue has truly come home to roost:
housing inequality has been dramatically emphasized by the current
health emergency. When we were all housebound for weeks on end, far too
many people were locked down in poor-standard, overcrowded or unhealthy
spaces. In addition to this, many did not have the means to pay their
energy bill to heat their homes, and most did not see nor have access to
nature for months.
The European Union has been going through a systemic housing crisis for a long time now, which has its root causes in a structural shortage of affordable, public and social housing and from the lack of public investment. However, the housing issue interconnects with three other major crises that need to be tackled simultaneously: the social crisis, the climate crisis and the economic crisis.
With over 50 million people overburdened by housing costs, social housing waiting lists at an all-time high, and 700,000 people sleeping rough every night in the streets of Europe, it is clear that fixing the housing crisis will mean putting the focus on social inequality in our society.
Read more at:
Affordable and sustainable housing must become a priority of Europe’s recovery plan – EURACTIV.com
The European Union has been going through a systemic housing crisis for a long time now, which has its root causes in a structural shortage of affordable, public and social housing and from the lack of public investment. However, the housing issue interconnects with three other major crises that need to be tackled simultaneously: the social crisis, the climate crisis and the economic crisis.
With over 50 million people overburdened by housing costs, social housing waiting lists at an all-time high, and 700,000 people sleeping rough every night in the streets of Europe, it is clear that fixing the housing crisis will mean putting the focus on social inequality in our society.
Read more at:
Affordable and sustainable housing must become a priority of Europe’s recovery plan – EURACTIV.com
4/29/20
USA: The world has loved, hated and envied the U.S. Now, for the first time, we pity it
Fintan O'Toole is one of Ireland’s
many national treasures, a great writer who stands out in a country
where great writing would be almost ordinary were it not so revered.
In today’s Irish Times, O’Toole writes:
The grotesque spectacle of the president openly inciting people (some of them armed) to take to the streets to oppose the restrictions that save lives is the manifestation of a political death wish. What are supposed to be daily briefings on the crisis, demonstrative of national unity in the face of a shared challenge, have been used by Trump merely to sow confusion and division. They provide a recurring horror show in which all the neuroses that haunt the American subconscious dance naked on live TV.
Read more at;
The world has loved, hated and envied the U.S. Now, for the first time, we pity it - Imgur
In today’s Irish Times, O’Toole writes:
The grotesque spectacle of the president openly inciting people (some of them armed) to take to the streets to oppose the restrictions that save lives is the manifestation of a political death wish. What are supposed to be daily briefings on the crisis, demonstrative of national unity in the face of a shared challenge, have been used by Trump merely to sow confusion and division. They provide a recurring horror show in which all the neuroses that haunt the American subconscious dance naked on live TV.
Read more at;
The world has loved, hated and envied the U.S. Now, for the first time, we pity it - Imgur
2/29/20
EU: Coronavirus could be a bigger test for the EU than the refugee crisis
Most dramatically, the Turkish government this week backed off from its commitment made in 2016, in return for 6 billion euros in EU funds, to prevent Syrian refugees from entering Europe. That followed a Thursday airstrike by Russian-backed Syrian forces in Syria’s Idlib province, killing at least 33 Turkish troops, with some turkish sources claiming more than 150 troops killed.
Even as Turkey ordered police, coast guard and border security officials to allow would-be refugees to pass into the EU, Bulgaria responded by sending an extra 1,000 troops to the frontier with Turkey and Greek police launched smoke grenades at one crossing to dissuade migrants.
Containing pathogens is a much different business than managing waves of refugees. However, what unites the two issues is how dramatically the European Union’s response will shape public attitudes about the institution’s relevance, responsiveness, and effectiveness at a crucial historic moment.
The impact of coronavirus on Europe’s future has the potential to be even more significant than the migrant crisis, particularly as it unfolds in almost biblical fashion atop a plague of other European maladies.
Tourist wearing protective respiratory mask tours outside the Colosseo monument were a common sight in the center of Rome..
The ripples from the European migrant crisis of 2015 continue until today with its dual shock to the EU’s unity and domestic politics. It triggered a wave of populism and nationalism, the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU, and Germany’s political fragmentation behind the weakening of Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Even as Turkey ordered police, coast guard and border security officials to allow would-be refugees to pass into the EU, Bulgaria responded by sending an extra 1,000 troops to the frontier with Turkey and Greek police launched smoke grenades at one crossing to dissuade migrants.
Containing pathogens is a much different business than managing waves of refugees. However, what unites the two issues is how dramatically the European Union’s response will shape public attitudes about the institution’s relevance, responsiveness, and effectiveness at a crucial historic moment.
The impact of coronavirus on Europe’s future has the potential to be even more significant than the migrant crisis, particularly as it unfolds in almost biblical fashion atop a plague of other European maladies.
They include, but by no means are limited to: economic slowdown and possible recession (made more likely by coronavirus), the rise of populism and nationalism (stoked as well by the virus), disagreements about how to handle trade talks with a departing United Kingdom (which start Monday), internecine fights over the European budget, and ongoing German leadership crisis and French social upheaval.
The coronavirus morphed this past week into an increasingly global phenomenon that experts agree can no longer be contained. The hit to stock markets was $6 trillion, the biggest weekly fall since the 2008 financial crisis. By Friday, the WHO reported more than 78,000 cases and more than 2,790 deaths ion China – and 70 deaths in 52 other countries.
In Europe, what began as northern Italian phenomenon – where there have been more than 800 infections – has now reached Spain, Greece, Croatia, France, the UK, Switzerland, Romania, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, North Macedonia, and San Marino.
For Europe the Corana Virus is certainly a wake-up call and a national European Medical Emergency.
Read more at: Coronavirus could be a bigger test for the EU than the refugee crisis
7/6/19
USA - Climate change: The next financial crises?
Climate change: The next financial crisis?
Read more at:
The Digest Group
Almere-Digest
EU-Digst
Insure-Digest
Turkish-Digest
For additional information, including advertising rates - e-mail: Freeplanet@protonmail.com
Almere-Digest
EU-Digst
Insure-Digest
Turkish-Digest
For additional information, including advertising rates - e-mail: Freeplanet@protonmail.com
9/4/18
Turkey: Erdogan has limited options to save (himself) and Turkey from the financial crisis - by Samia Nakhoul, Dominic Evans
 |
| Purge them all, including the economy |
But his victory could become a poisoned chalice if he cannot resolve an angry feud with President Donald Trump that is pushing his country towards financial crisis.
Erdogan has limited options. Most involve a loss of face or a loss of sovereignty for which he alone would be blamed, having successfully marginalized not just a divided opposition but his own Justice and Development Party (AKP).
His victories in June were decisive. Re-elected as president under a new order modeled more on Vladimir Putin’s Russia than France or the United States, he also secured a parliamentary majority by allying with far-right nationalists.
The role of prime minister was abolished, leaving Erdogan to dominate not just the executive - appointing ministers, chairing the cabinet and replacing top civil servants with political appointees – but also holding sway over the judiciary and the legislature.
Having chosen to rule alone from his vast neo-Ottoman palace in Ankara, he confronts the spiraling crisis alone.
The lira has collapsed by 40 percent this year. Turkish banks that borrowed heavily abroad now face the near impossible task of refinancing short-term debt in expensive dollars and euros.
Bottom-line : the party could be over for President Erdogan very quickly, even violently, once the vast majority of his followers personally start feeling the economic pinch in their own pocket-books, which is now starting to happen at a rapid pace.
Read more: Erdogan has limited options to save Turkey from financial crisis | Reuters
Middle East - Syria Crises Idlib:: Donald Trump warns Russia and Iran over expected Idilb offensive by Syria leader Bashar Assad
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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