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Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan hoped that the Syrian rebel forces advance against President Bashar Al-Assad’s forces.
Syrian rebels capture Hama (Reuters Image)
Iran started evacuating its military commanders and personnel from Syria on Friday, as Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) launched an offensive against President Bashar Al-Assad and his Army last week, The New York Times reported.
Iran’s latest move comes as a sign of its inability to help keep President Bashar al-Assad at the helm as he is facing a resurgent rebel offensive. For the last week, the Syrian government troops have fallen back against the offensive.
Erdogan Hopes Rebels Advance Further
On the other hand, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said that he hoped the Syrian rebels would continue their advance against Assad’s forces.
Erdogan said that he was following the offensive which was heading to the Syrian capital. “The target is Damascus. I would say we hope for this advance to continue without any issues,” he said.
“However, while this resistance there with terrorist organisations is continuing, we had made a call to Assad,” Erdogan added, making a reference tp his approaches to Assad earlier this year to meet and make attempts to normalise ties after over a decade of animosity.
He said that the “problematic advances” in the region are “not in a manner we desire”. “Our heart does not want these. Unfortunately, the region is in a bind,” he said as he underlined the complex structure of the rebel forces fighting against Assad.
Turkey Extends Support To Syrian Rebels
Turkey has extended support to the Syrian rebel forces for years, aiming to oust the Iran and Russia-backed Assad rule, however, Ankara also views some regional forces as terrorists, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist former Al-Qaeda affiliate that is part of the rebel force.
The Syrian rebels captured Hama city on Thursday in a major win the week-old offensive across northern Syria.
Turkey has denied its involvement in the uprising and said that it has not provided any support to the rebels.
Turkey has suggested to Assad that he needs to engage in talks with the Syrian people to find a political solution and that Ankara does not want to see a new wave of migrants fleeing the country due to violence.
Iran Evacuates Its Military
Amid the rebels’ uprising, Iran evacuated its military from Syria. Among those evacuated to neighbouring Iraq and Lebanon were top commanders of Iran’s Quds Forces, the external branch of the Revolutionary Guards Corps, The New York Times reported.
The Iranians started leaving Syria on Friday morning, according to the officials.
The evacuations were ordered at the Iranian Embassy in Damascus and at the bases of the Revolutionary Guards, according to officials, who said that some of the embassy staff had departed.
The evacuation was carried out by planes to Tehran while some left via land routes to Lebanon, Iraq, and the Syrian port of Latakia, The New York Times reported.
The Syrian war started in 2011 with a peaceful uprising against the government of President Bashar al-Assad and then took the shape of a multisided conflict led by armed rebels and extremists. The protests were dealt with an iron fist. As the rebels took up arms to defend themselves against the violent crackdown by the government, civil war broke out.
- Location :
Damascus, Syria
