Syria confirms preparation of an offensive in the Idlib province
Syrian government forces are preparing a large-scale attack on insurgents in the province of Idlib, said the Minister of Foreign Affair of Syria, Walid al-Muallem, on August 30th after a conversation with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow.
According to him, the Syrian military “will make their way through Idlib,” and “the main objective” of the upcoming operation will be the Al-Nusra Front, which at a time had ties with Al-Qaeda.
The province of Idlib is the last of the de-escalation zones controlled by factions opposing Assad.
The United Nations and the US State Department fear a humanitarian catastrophe in Idlib. If an attack occurs hundreds of thousands of people are at risk. Washington also expressed concern over the threat of Assad’s use of chemical weapons.
In recent days, Russia has concentrated two dozen warships off the coast of Syria and is conducting naval exercises in the Mediterranean Sea.