https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/e...dlib-32t7tpmrq

Erdogan’s 5,000 Turkish troops face Assad in Idlib

Turkey deployed thousands of troops towards the last significant front line of Syria’s civil war yesterday, threatening a direct confrontation with Assad regime forces who are advancing against jihadists and other rebels.........

President Erdogan summoned his defence minister, Hulusi Akar, to discuss the crisis, which has threatened open conflict with Syria for the first time in the nine-year war. Russian negotiators are also in Ankara. Fahrettin Altun, Mr Erdogan’s press chief, tweeted yesterday that the Turkish army would “crush anyone who dares to target our flag”.

Last week Mr Erdogan threatened to force Syria to return to the positions it held at the time of a ceasefire agreed in 2018 between Turkey, Russia and Iran. The three countries support different sides in the war but have close relations which they are determined to preserve. In an assault that began haltingly in April and has accelerated in the past two months, President Assad has seized nearly half of the Idlib pocket. The area, which was supposed to be protected by the ceasefire, comprises the province of Idlib and slivers of Aleppo and Latakia.......

Media close to the Turkish leader said that 5,000 troops, 500 of them special forces, had been deployed with tanks, mobile artillery and other support. Ten thousand rebels backed by Turkey have also been mobilised. These appeared to include fighters from the offensive last year against Kurdish positions in northeastern Syria. Turkish-Russian joint patrols in that area have been halted and forces supported by Turkey are reported to have withdrawn from some positions. Fuat Oktay, the vice-president, said Turkish soldiers would remain in Idlib “to give the necessary response to those flouting international law”.........

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/s...dlib-whpvxfl8d

Syrian rebels shoot down Assad helicopter as violence escalates in IdlibSyrian rebels have shot down a regime helicopter amid an escalation of violence in Idlib province that threatens to suck Turkey into full-blown war with President Assad.

The helicopter was shot down today in Nairab, west of the town of Saraqeb, by fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a hardline Islamist group that is the successor of al-Qaeda in Syria.

Footage released by the group shows the blackened and burning wreckage of the Mil MI-17 crashing to the ground in open land close to heavily damaged apartment blocks. TRT, Turkey’s state broadcaster, also reported the footage.

The group also claimed to have retaken ground from the regime in the same area amid heavy clashes and airstrikes today. President Assad’s forces are pushing into Idlib, the last rebel-held province, from the south, and are using helicopters to drop barrel bombs onto residential areas. The heaviest fighting is currently around the town of Atareb, to the northeast of Idlib city.

Although HTS is not officially among the rebel factions backed by Ankara, Turkey has beefed up its military presence in Idlib since the weekend, moving an extra 5,000 soldiers across the border, and is effectively fighting alongside the group.......

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-51458008

Syria war: Government will pay 'heavy price' for attacking Turkish troops

Turkey's president has warned the Syrian government that it will "pay a very, very heavy price" for attacks on Turkish soldiers in north-west Syria.

Five troops were killed in opposition-held Idlib province on Monday, as the Syrian army continued an offensive. Turkish forces struck dozens of targets in response, but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "It will continue."......

Turkey, a backer of the opposition, has sent troops to Idlib under agreements with the Syrian government's allies Russia and Iran - the 2017 Astana and 2018 Sochi accords - that sought to de-escalate hostilities. So far this month, Syrian army artillery fire has killed 12 Turkish military personnel and one civilian contractor.

The Turkish defence ministry said Turkish forces responded to Monday's attack by hitting 115 Syrian government targets and "neutralising" 101 soldiers. However, the Syrian army did not report any casualties.

In a speech in Ankara on Tuesday, President Erdogan said: "We gave the necessary responses to the Syrian side at the highest level. Especially in Idlib, they got what they deserved. But this is not enough. It will continue. The more they attack our soldiers, the heavier price they will pay. We will share these steps with the public tomorrow," he added.

Turkey's state news agency said a fresh convoy of military vehicles and commandos had been sent to Idlib to reinforce Turkish positions there, adding to the hundreds of tanks and thousands of soldiers reportedly deployed last week.The Syrian army later said Turkey was "escalating acts of aggression by targeting populated areas to help terrorists" and that it would respond to attacks.

Meanwhile, Russia called for the de-escalation agreements to be implemented and warned it considered unacceptable "any terrorist activity directed against the Syrian armed forces and Russian military facilities".......

So Turkey has handed certain weapons to HTS.

And... this may have just been confirmed?
https://www.middleeasteye.net/video/...s-syria-rebels

So Saudi diplomats providing support and meeting with the 911 perps again and again pre 911 was just a mere coincidence.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...ns-with-turkey

Syrian military helicopter shot down amid tensions with Turkey

A Syrian military helicopter has been shot down over the last major rebel bastion in the northwest of the country, the second such incident in a week of high tensions with neighbouring Turkey. The attack on Friday in a region where Turkish troops and Russian-backed government forces have engaged in multiple clashes came as Washington urged Ankara to look to its western allies in light of Moscow’s actions..........

“At approximately 1:40pm (local time), one of our military helicopters was hit by a hostile missile in the western countryside of Aleppo,” Syrian state news agency SANA said. “This led the helicopter to crash, killing all crew on board.”

It said the aircraft was downed near the town of Urum al-Kubra, where Turkey-backed rebels operate, but did not say who fired the missile. The Turkey-backed National Liberation Front rebel group claimed responsibility in a statement posted on the Telegram app.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the helicopter’s two pilots were killed. Three days earlier, another Syrian military helicopter was downed over Idlib province, killing at least three crew members.

Turkish media blamed that attack on rebels, but the Observatory said Ankara’s troops had fired rockets at the aircraft over the village of Qaminas, southeast of Idlib city. Turkey did not claim responsibility.....

Three individual Saudi diplomats met the 911 mob - 2 of them were involved in what was probably a legitimate interest as they were funding their studies through a Govt Approved programme IIRC

The other may well have been an Al Qaida operative

That doesn't make it "The Saudi Govt" - whatever Mr Putin would like us to think Racedo

Yup I can just see it, majority of them being Iranian and 3 Iranian diplomats being involved and Tehran would have been nuked.

But it is Saudi and there were a lot more than 3 contacts and it was ongoing.

But hey keep playing the man rather than deal with reality.

Turkish forces has reported that, in response to an air attack which killed 2 Turkish soldiers near Idlib, they have responded by launching strikes which have killed more than 50:Syrian government forces.

For ORAC: will be interesting to hear the Syrian side of that story, if it ever gets told.

In other news: first commercial flight out of Aleppo in 8 years. (I guess that's good news?)
https://twitter.com/i/events/1230053636702494721?s=13

L_50,

Russian response here.....

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...ants-in-idlib/

Turkish response here......

https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/ne...r-syria-threat

29 probably more Turkish soldiers killed during their ongoing support of the freedom loving HTS (AQ under another name) in Syria.

All social media is shut down in Turkey and they have threatened to open the borders and let millions of refugees travel to Europe and demanded that NATO supports them. I have a funny feeling that GFY will be the response and any threat against Syria will find Russia standing right beside them.

Erdogan’s press secretary Fahrettin Altun told reporters in the early hours of Friday that Turkey is “responding” to the “illegitimate regime that has pointed the gun at our soldiers,”
Altun even described the events in Idlib as a genocide, saying Turkey will now allow the repetition of “what happened in Rwanda and Bosnia” there.

These would of course be the soldiers who invaded a sovreign country, openly supported terrorists randomly killing people. Strange when he mentions Genocide he forgets the one Turkey perpetrated on Armenians.......... but hey when your country slaughters 1.5 million people it is easy to forget.

Number dead now stated as more than 34. Turkish forces have started full scale ground and air attacks in response.

Turkey also calling a full NATO Council meeting today.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-51667717

https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_173923.htm

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/...n-syria-a69443

Interesting that Russians have indicated the people who died were with HTS (AL Q) units, had not had their positions disclosed to Russian as per agreement to avoid being hit.

Seems like as normal Turkey is playing both sides of the street.

Just published in The Times.

After years of alienating his allies, Erdogan has no one to turn to



Click the link for the full article.

Turkey has released aerial footage of the retaliatory strikes.

So the Russian's role is restricted to providing air strikes, not air cover for regime ground forces? Also no MANPADs etc for the guys on the ground? I know they haven't needed them in the past, but they must have known this was coming to them.

Even embedded Russian reporters are highlighting the impact that the Turkish armed drones are having. Auto translate can be selected on the video.

Turkey has shot down two Syrian jets over Idlib.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-s...-idUSKBN20O1UA

AMMAN (Reuters) - The Syrian army confirmed on Sunday two of its war planes were downed by Turkish jets after they were intercepted during a combat mission in Idlib province. Earlier, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said one of its drones had been downed on Sunday and that it had shot down two Syrian planes.

Syrian state news media had previously only said that two planes had been “targeted”, adding the pilots escaped in parachutes and were fine.

https://www.trtworld.com/turkey/turk...-updates-34168

Sunday, March 1

Regime airport, jets destroyed

Turkey destroyed three air defence systems of the Syrian regime, including one that downed Turkish armed drone, Turkish Defence Ministry said.

It said two regime jets were also downed in volatile Idlib province. “Two SU-24 regime planes that were attacking our aircraft have been downed," the ministry said. Two regime warplanes were shot down by Turkey in Syrian airspace and pilots ejected with parachutes, Syrian regime confirmed.

Meanwhile, Turkish Armed Forces also bombed the regime's Nairab military airport in Aleppo province, rendering it unusable, Anadolu Agency reported.

Turkey launches Operation Spring Shield

Turkey launched a full scale military operation against Assad regime forces in northern Syria on Sunday.

Operation Spring Shield is already yielding results according to Defence Minister Hulusi Akar. He said since the operation began on February 28, 1 UAV, 8 helicopters, 103 tanks, 72 guns/howitzers/CNRA, 3 air defence systems and 2,212 regime soldiers have already been eliminated.

"We have no intention to confront Russia but we want to stop the Assad regime's massacre of civilians. Our target is only regime forces and elements attacking our troops," he added........