Expert: Turkey called for 'peace' while preparing new attack on Syria
Varuzhan Geghamyan, a Yerevan-based geopolitical strategist and regional security expert, says Turkey used the geopolitical turmoil to arrange a new attack on Syria.
Jihadists and their Turkish-backed allies breached Syria's second city of Aleppo on Friday, as they pressed a lightning offensive against forces of the Iranian- and Russian-backed government.
The fighters swiftly captured half of Aleppo without meeting significant resistance, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The offensive began on Wednesday, the same day that a fragile ceasefire took effect in neighboring Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah.
“The people in Aleppo, including local Armenian residents, are in great danger and the Syrian army’s swift and successful retaliation is vital,” Geghamyan wrote on Telegram on Saturday.
“Currently, fighting is underway in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib. The response of Syria's allies, Iran and Russia, will be crucial in the next few hours. There are rumors about the deployment of more Russian troops in preparation for a major counterattack. According to my information, Syrian President Assad visited Moscow on Friday.
“Turkey had been making extensive preparations in recent months and weeks to seize new territories in northern Syria. Therefore, in the event of failure or absence of a Syrian counterattack in the coming days, the Turkish army itself will likely enter other territories of the country.
“While preparing a new attack on Syria, Turkey was calling for “peace” and claiming that it had no plans to seize new territories in an effort to let the Syrians off guard and hide its true intentions. Taking advantage of the geopolitical situation, Turkey once again violated all agreements,” the expert penned.
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