Northern Syria - 

The expected Turkish military operation in northern Syria has returned to the forefront of events and the spotlight again after the new political developments in the region, amid talk of Iranian mediation by Tehran to discourage Ankara from moving against the Syrian Democratic Forces in northern Syria.

In the latest statements by Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Hussein Abdullahian, from the Syrian capital, Damascus, he said that he conveyed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad the "security concerns" that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu briefed him on during his visit to Ankara.

Despite the Iranian minister’s talk about his country’s efforts to bring peace between Turkey and Syria, and his declaration of his understanding of the Turkish need for a new operation against the PKK and the Kurdish People’s Protection Units in northern Syria, ambiguity surrounds the repercussions of the visit and its results on the ground, at a time when Turkish official statements tend to Military action is coming, though its implementation is delayed.

Abdullahian said that he conveyed to the President of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad, Turkey's "security concerns" (Reuters)

strength leaves

The internal situation in Turkey calls for military action, according to military analyst Brigadier General Ahmed Rahal, considering that Ankara possesses power cards in foreign policy toward Russia, America, Iran and the European Union, as a result of its positions on the Ukrainian war and the repercussions of Finland and Sweden joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). ).

Rahal said - in an interview with Al Jazeera Net - that Turkey is giving a political space, pending approval for its military operation in northern Syria, to avoid a collision with the Russians and the regime forces that are massing at Menagh Military Airport, Manbij and Qamishli, after creating a joint operations room between the regime and the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Rahal said that the Iranian Foreign Minister's words about his country's understanding of the Turkish military operation in Syria were misinterpreted by some as a green light and Iranian approval to act, pointing out that the Iranians intended to open a dialogue table between Ankara and Assad, regarding the removal of the Syrian Democratic Forces. and replacing them with the regime forces.

According to Rahal, the Turks do not agree with the Iranian proposal, which serves Assad's interests, pointing out that they are proceeding with the military operation in northern Syria at a slow and simple pace.

Turkey has previously conducted military operations in northern Syria (Anatolia)

military crowds

On the ground, the Turkish military crowds coming to northern Syria indicate that they have completed preparations for any upcoming attack against the Syrian Democratic Forces in northern Syria, specifically in the areas of Manbij and Tal Rifaat in the northern and northeastern countryside of Aleppo.

Local sources said that two military columns of the Turkish forces - including tanks, armored vehicles and trucks - arrived in the Afrin area in the northern countryside of Aleppo yesterday, Monday, with the aim of strengthening the Turkish military sites in the area and the lines of contact with the Syrian Democratic Forces.

The sources indicated - to Al-Jazeera Net - that Turkish forces backed by tanks and artillery have deployed on the front lines near the city of Tal Rifaat in the northern countryside of Aleppo, which is controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, and is likely to be a major target of the expected Turkish military operation.

In light of the influx of the Turkish military buildup, the security and strategic expert Colonel Fayez Al-Asmar rules out that any international mediation will succeed in meeting Turkey’s demands to remove the US-backed separatist militias from its southern borders (in reference to the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces), and to disarm their heavy weapons, as they have demanded for years on both sides. The Americans and the Russians, but without meeting, especially after they halted Operation Peace Spring.

Al-Asmar considered that the data and military field movements inside Turkey and northern Syria, and the political and military statements made by senior Turkish leaders, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, indicate that the pre-emptive military operation aims to remove the Syrian Democratic Forces from the southern Turkish border to Depth of 30 km.

Al-Asmar pointed out - in an interview with Al-Jazeera Net - that Turkey has the right to preserve its national security, and any threat of any offensive or defensive military action, it is natural for the armed forces of any country to prepare for it and mobilize for it and strengthen its forces in preparation for this action.

The director of Jusoor Studies Center, Muhammad Sarmini, agrees with Colonel Al-Asmar, assuming that the negotiation of the operation will be within the Syrian framework only, saying that Turkey can cancel the operation if the PKK elements are removed from the target area, while providing a monitoring mechanism for the implementation that Turkey participates in its implementation. Ensure that the area is transformed into a safe area to facilitate the return of the displaced.

Sarmini denied - in an interview with Al Jazeera - that there are sufficient indications that Turkey will trust Iranian efforts to solve its security concerns in northern Syria, because Tehran is a rival to Ankara and provides support to the Kurdistan Workers Party in Iraq and its Syrian branch in and around Tel Rifaat, according to him.