Erdogan’s deal with Putin managed to temporarily halt an imminent attack on Idlib – an operation that US
president Donald Trump threatened to stop by force – but continued militant activity within demilitarised
areas and Syrian and Russian airstrikes on the province have undermined the deal terms.
A convoy of Turkish tanks and armoured vehicles, on its way to an observation post near Khan Sheikhun,
has been forced to stop after being targeted by Syrian jets. Damascus denounced what it said was a Turkish
attempt to save routed rebels.
The move risked a direct confrontation between Syria and Turkey, for the first time since the beginning of
the war.
Analysts say Turkey seeks to undermine Assad’s push and restore calm in and around Idlib. Erdogan sees
stability in the region as a chance to turn the table on the Kurds near Turkey’s border.
Turkey also wants to thwart Assad’s attack on Idlib in a bid to stop the flow of Syrian refugees, at a time
when Turkish authorities have been deporting Syrians, mainly in Istanbul.
- What is the humanitarian situation?
It looks grim. Hospitals are under systematic bombing raids, which target bakeries and markets too.
After months of stalemate Russia has increased the intensity of raids in the past two weeks, transforming
the situation on the ground. Hundreds of civilians have been killed and at least 400,000 people displaced,
medics, NGOs and the United Nations say.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights said 196 children were among the 843 civilians killed in the Russian
and Syrian raids since the campaign began last April.
“The flow of cars and vehicles leaving is not stopping,” said Abdullah Younis, from the city. Rescuers there
said around 60,000 people had fled in the past few days alone.
Moscow and Damascus, which deny indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas or targeting hospitals, say they
are fighting jihadi militants drawn from across the world.
Rebels concede most of their fighters have fled Khan Sheikhoun but are providing fierce resistance to the
Syrian army, which has secured a foothold in the rebel-held town that was bombed with sarin gas in 2017.