The situation is tense in Syria. Turkey threatened on Thursday to strike jihadists in Idleb if they fail to comply with a ceasefire supposed to end fighting in the rebel province.
"Force will be used in Idleb against those who do not respect the cease-fire, including the radicals," said Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, quoted by the state-run news agency Anadolu. "We will send additional units to re-establish the ceasefire and make sure it continues," added Hulusi Akar.
No cease-fire held
Turkey and Russia, which sponsor a process supposed to end the fighting in Idleb, have repeatedly announced the establishment of cease-fires in this province in north-west Syria, but none has held .
Despite an de-escalation agreement between Ankara and Moscow, the Syrian regime has been conducting an offensive for several months, with the support of the Russian air force, in the province of Idleb controlled by rebel groups and jihadists, in particular the al Qaeda branch in Syria.
Pass of arms between Ankara and Moscow
The intensification of bombing in Idleb in recent weeks has given rise to acrimonious exchanges between Ankara, which supports rebel groups, and Moscow, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, on Wednesday.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Moscow of taking part in the "massacre" of civilians alongside regime forces in Idleb. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov responded by accusing Turkey of doing nothing to "neutralize the terrorists in Idleb", a situation he deemed "unacceptable".
Ankara is concerned about the situation in Idleb because of its proximity to the Turkish border, fearing that the Syrian regime's offensive will cause a new influx of refugees to Turkey, which already hosts 3.7 million Syrians.
Support from the United States
While the Idleb crisis is straining relations between Turkey and Russia, the United States has offered strong support to the Turkish authorities. The United States Special Representative for Syria, James Jeffrey, met with several Turkish officials in Ankara on Wednesday. In statements released Thursday by the US Embassy in Ankara on his Twitter account, he said Washington was "in total agreement with Turkey" regarding its presence in Syria "to defend its vital interests in the face of the 'refugee influx and to fight terrorism'.
"We understand and support the legitimate Turkish concerns justifying the presence of Turkish forces in Syria and in particular in Idleb," he added, attacking the "regime of President Assad who committed war crimes". He also said that the Syrian regime and its Russian and Iranian allies should realize that "they will not be able to achieve a military victory" in Syria. "When Russia, Iran and Assad find that they cannot progress further without entering into conflict with us or with Turkey, they will realize that it is time to return to the negotiating table in Geneva to resolve this conflict through diplomatic means, "he said.
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