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American president’s tweet on the situation Syria came as a US delegation visits Turkey
Syrian rebel fighters prepare for an upcoming government forces offensive in the countryside of the rebel-held northern Idlib province. OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP
US president Donald Trump issued a carefully worded warning to his Syrian counterpart, Bashar Al Assad, on Monday evening against “recklessly” attacking the northern province of Idlib.
Mr Trump tweeted from the White House at 6.20pm local time that “President Bashar al-Assad of Syria must not recklessly attack Idlib Province.”
He added hours after Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif met with Mr Assad in Damascus, that “the Russians and Iranians would be making a grave humanitarian mistake to take part in this potential human tragedy.” “Hundreds of thousands of people could be killed. Don’t let that happen!” Mr Trump said.
The tweet came as a highly expected assault on Idlib is being planned by the Syrian regime and its allies Russia and Iran. The assault could bring a humanitarian disaster for population of roughly 2.5 million civilians that could be caught in the fighting.
A US delegation tasked to discuss Idlib, arrived in the region on Saturday, and has visited Jordan and Israel. It was due to arrive in Turkey on Monday. Turkey holds immense leverage in the bordering province. The delegation includes James Jeffrey, newly appointed special representative for Syria Engagement, and Joel Rayburn, near eastern affairs deputy assistant secretary and special envoy for Syria.
Nicholas Heras, a senior fellow at the Center for New American Security, told The National that Mr Trump’s tweet “is telling Mr Assad to back off because the United States stands by Turkey.”
“Secretary Pompeo is making Syria a signature issue of his term as Secretary of State … his new Syria team [Jeffrey and Rayburn] is trying to help Turkey stand its ground in Idlib, to preserve leverage in western Syria to apply onto Russia, Iran, and Mr Assad,” Mr Heras explained.
But for that to happen, “Turkey needs top cover from the United States if it is going to stare down Assad and force Russia to take the Geneva process seriously.” Mr Pompeo retweeted the US president on Twitter.
But Faysal Itani, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council where he follows Syria, told The National that the US leverage is constrained in Syria and the battle of Idlib is no exception.
“Short of sustained military action and a high appetite for risk in Syria [neither is likely], the US can’t stop a regime takeover of Idlib” Mr Itani said. “We might be able to postpone it through a round of symbolic strikes … but not stop it.”
Last week a US official told the Washington Post that “right now, our job is to help create quagmires [for Russia and the Syrian regime] until we get what we want.”
“This approach involves reassuring the three key US allies on Syria’s border – Israel, Turkey and Jordan – of continued American involvement” the official added.
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