Connection between Turkey and groups in northern Syria is obvious, says political scientist

Speaking with Alpha News, political scientist and orientalist Elena Suponina commented on the situation in Syria and noted that the task of the Syrian army is to gradually return those areas that have fallen to the militants in recent days.

“The situation in Syria is, of course, alarming. The fact that the militants have advanced very quickly and have already gone beyond the Idlib province, taking Aleppo, is very concerning. It is clear that the militants have been planning this operation for a long time; they themselves are now saying that it took them 2-3 months to prepare. They waited until the end of the war between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah so as not to be accused of helping Israel with their activity. Therefore, they acted now, taking advantage of a number of moments, including the fact that after the conflict with Israel, the allies of the Syrian government, such as Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah, are somewhat weakened.

The militants, in my opinion, will hardly be able to advance further, because having recovered from the initial shock, the Syrian army has now begun to resist these attempts. Now the task of the Syrian army is the gradual return of those areas that have passed to the militants in recent days. I will say that it will be easier to do this in the province of Hama than in Idlib, but the task of returning the city of Aleppo will be very difficult. This is a big loss; its return will certainly take time,” Suponina said.

According to the orientalist, Moscow is now coordinating its efforts with Iran to find a political solution to this conflict.

“Russia will provide assistance to the Syrian government, but Russia should not perform the duties of the Syrian army. This should be assistance within the framework that Damascus and Moscow agreed on. This is not a small amount of assistance; it is big. But the Syrians themselves must do the rest. Moscow is now coordinating its efforts with Iran to find a political and diplomatic solution to this conflict, not a military one.

Moscow believes that Iran and Turkey should continue talks and try to reach an agreement. Turks deny their direct involvement in these matters, but the connection between Turkey and groups in northern Syria is obvious,” Suponina concluded.