Syria urged by Turkey and US to hold talks with opposition after sudden advance – National

The recent rapid advance of opposition fighters in Syria shows that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad needs to reconcile with his own people and hold talks with the opposition, Turkey's foreign minister said on Monday.

At a joint press conference in Ankara with his Iranian counterpart Hakan Fidan, he said Turkey and Iran, which back opposing sides in Syria's civil war, had agreed to resume diplomatic efforts with Russia to restore calm days after rebels launched a lightning offensive and captured almost everyone from the country's largest city, Aleppo.

Rebels captured four new towns early Tuesday, opposition activists said, as government forces retook some of the territory they lost last week.

The capture of the towns is the latest push by rebels led by Salafi jihadist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, as well as Turkish-backed opposition fighters. The rebels are now about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Hama, the country's fourth-largest city.

The rapid advance has been a major embarrassment for Assad and comes at a time when his allies – Iran and Russia – are preoccupied with their own conflicts.

The crackdown is among the heaviest on the rebels in years and raises the prospect of reopening another front of violence in the Middle East as US-backed Israel battles Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, both groups allied to Iran.

Fidan, whose country has backed forces opposed to Assad, blamed the recent outbreak of the conflict on the Syrian government's refusal to engage in dialogue with the opposition, which Turkey supports.

“The latest events show once again that Damascus must come to terms with its own people and the legitimate opposition,” the Turkish minister said. “Turkey is ready to make all necessary contributions for this.

Fidan's comments came amid Turkey's frustration that recent reconciliation efforts with Assad have failed. The comments suggest the strike offensive launched by opposition fighters may be aimed at pressuring the Syrian leader to engage in political talks.

Turkey is seeking to normalize ties with Syria to address security threats from groups linked to Kurdish militants along its southern border and help the safe return of more than 3 million Syrian refugees. Assad insisted that the Turkish withdrawal of its military forces from northern Syria would be a condition for the normalization of relations between the two countries.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who visited Assad on Sunday before traveling to Ankara, reiterated Tehran's full support for the Syrian government. Iran has been one of Assad's main political and military backers and has deployed military advisers and forces since 2011. protests against Assad's rule turned into all-out war.

Iranian-backed Iraqi militias have deployed to Syria to support the government's counteroffensive against insurgents, an Iraqi militia official and military monitor said Monday.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based opposition military monitor, about 200 Iraqi militiamen riding in pickup trucks crossed into Syria overnight through the strategic Bu Kamal crossing. They are expected to be deployed in Aleppo to support the Syrian army's push back against the rebels, the monitor said.

Meanwhile, Associated Press video showed armed rebels at Aleppo International Airport, one of them standing on a Syrian government flag and others tearing up a poster of Assad.

Insurgents were also seen boarding abandoned planes and walking around airport grounds littered with boxes of weapons and ammunition.

The rebel offensive in Syria has raised concerns among neighboring countries that the conflict could spread. In Iraq, Interior Ministry spokesman Brig. General Mikdad Miri said security forces had deployed more to protect its large border with Syria.

Fidan reiterated Turkey's support for Syria's territorial integrity, but suggested Turkey would not hesitate to intervene against Syrian Kurdish groups Turkey considers terrorists if they “take advantage of the environment of instability.”

Trending now

• Salad kits recalled in Canada due to salmonella risk

• Dramatic home explosion caught on video near Edmonton: 'It could happen'

“It was a mistake to ignore the legitimate demands of the opposition and for the (Syrian) regime not to engage sincerely in the political process,” Fidan said.

Turkey, he added, “will never, ever allow terrorist organizations that seek to take advantage of an environment of instability,” Fidan said. “We will eliminate any threat to our national security and our people wherever it arises.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed hope that the instability in Syria would end “in accordance with the legitimate demands of the Syrian people”. He spoke on Monday at a joint press conference with the President of Montenegro.

Both Fidan and Araghchi said Turkey, Iran and Russia would convene a new trilateral meeting to resolve the conflict in Syria.

“We have decided to hold closer consultations and dialogue and with God's permission we will cooperate to further improve the situation towards peace and stability in our region,” Aragchi said.

Russia, whose intervention in the Syrian civil war on behalf of Assad was crucial in turning the conflict in his favor, said it would continue to support him.

“We continue our contacts at an appropriate level,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday. “A position will be formed on what is needed to stabilize the situation.

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the Assad regime has ignored Security Council resolutions and refused to come to the negotiating table.

“We are monitoring this situation very closely and will continue to engage with partners in the region to find a way to bring the situation back to calm,” she said.

As Syrian and Russian jets continued to pound targets, two airstrikes hit a cluster of four hospitals and the health directorate building in Idlib city, said the Syrian Civil Defense Forces, which operate in opposition-held areas known as the White Helmets.

Two people at Idlib University Hospital died after their oxygen machines were turned off following the strikes. The hospital's ceiling panels and doors were blown away, while ambulances and vehicles outside were badly damaged, according to footage captured by an Associated Press reporter at the hospital.

At least 15 civilians were killed in Idlib city and province, according to the White Helmets.

Syrian Kurds have been fleeing the fighting in large numbers since Turkish-backed rebels seized Tell Rifaat from rival US-backed Kurdish authorities. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have largely withdrawn and called for a humanitarian corridor to allow people to leave safely in convoys to Aleppo and later to the Kurdish-led northeastern regions.