Russia, Iran, and Turkey on Thursday vowed to continue to work together to fight the Islamic State in Syria and ensure the country’s sovereignty. The trio also condemned Israeli airstrikes in Syria.
In a joint statement, they underscored “the necessity to further continue their ongoing cooperation in order to ultimately eliminate” Daesh/ISIS, Al Nusra Front, and other terrorist groups from Syria. The statement also expressed concern about the threats posed to civilians by terrorists and stressed that their anti-terror operations will ensure “the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure in accordance with international humanitarian law.”
Representatives from the three countries met in Kazakhstan’s capital, Nur Sultan, as part of the Astana Format on Syria.
They condemned “continuing Israeli military attacks in Syria” and stressed that these strikes violate international law and Syrian sovereignty, and also endanger regional security and stability. Accordingly, they demanded that Israel stop conducting airstrikes in Syria.
Israel has launched over a thousand airstrikes in Syria against Iranian proxy groups and weapons transfers to Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in the last five years alone. Following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Israel has followed a policy of conducting pre-emptive airstrikes against Iranian targets in Syria, with the aim of preventing Iran from gaining a foothold in its neighbourhood.
Syria has condemned these strikes as a violation of its sovereignty, citing troop casualties and damage to weaponry as a result of the strikes. Last week, an Israeli airstrike damaged a runway at the Damascus International Airport. According to reports, the strike was aimed at an Iranian smuggling network in the country.
Israeli intelligence and imagery firm @ImageSatIntl publishes satellite images showing damage to Syria’s Damascus International Airport after an airstrike attributed to Israel. pic.twitter.com/YEhUXnFzce
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) June 10, 2022
However, Israel’s actions were condemned by Syria and Russia, which have maintained a military presence in the country. Russia even summoned Israel’s ambassador to Moscow to express the Kremlin’s displeasure.
Following Russia’s intervention in the civil war in 2015 to prop up the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Israel has been forced to maintain a direct line of communication with Russia regarding its operations, so as to prevent an incident in which Russian forces are targeted by Israeli airstrikes. While Russia and Israel have so far been able to establish a common understanding regarding their role in the conflict, recent Israeli remarks condemning Russian atrocities in Bucha and Israel’s decision to send non-lethal weapons to Ukraine have angered Moscow. As a result, Russia has condemned Israeli airstrikes in Syria and last month even fired anti-aircraft missiles for the first time at Israeli fighter jets in northwestern Syria.
The statement also talked about the situation in Idlib, which is the last Syrian province where the rebels continue to maintain a significant military presence. The province is been a battleground between pro-Syria militias backed by Russia and Iran, and Turkish-backed rebels.
The representatives “agreed to make further efforts to ensure sustainable normalisation of the situation” in the Idlib de-escalation area and “improve the humanitarian situation in and around the area.”
life will not stop 💚
— Samer Daboul-سامر دعبول (@samerdaboul6) June 16, 2022
Life in destroyed homes as a result of air strikes by the Assad regime and Russia in northwest Syria.
Photo credit: MarkCutts pic.twitter.com/l4QuCT5zeK
Although Idlib was part of a de-escalation zone agreement between Ankara and Moscow in 2018, Russia and Syria have continually violated the terms of the agreement and launched frequent attacks. Russian airstrikes have relentlessly pounded Idlib. Syrian troops, too, have continued to shell Idlib, killing hundreds of civilians, including women and children, in the process.
The trio also discussed the situation in Syria’s northeast, especially in the Rojava region, where Kurdish groups have carved out an autonomous region outside Damascus’ sphere of influence. In this respect, Moscow, Tehran, and Ankara “rejected all attempts to create new realities on the ground, including illegitimate self-rule initiatives under the pretext of combating terrorism,” referring to operations by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the People’s Defence/Protection Units (YPG) against ISIS fighters holed up in the region.
The regime forces and Russia targeted the residential neighborhood of Maret Nassan village with artillery shelling east of #Idlib. Our teams inspected the bombing scenes and didn't record any casualties. #WhiteHelmets pic.twitter.com/3f48wsmdbV
— The White Helmets (@SyriaCivilDef) June 9, 2022
The release stressed that such “separatist agendas” are “undermining the unity of Syria as well as threatening the national security of neighbouring countries,” especially Turkey.
Turkey has occupied northern Syria since 2016 in a bid to remove Kurdish militants, including the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the People’s Defence/Protection Units (YPG) from the region. Since then, Turkey has launched three major operations in the area carved out by the Kurds, collectively known as Rojava, following the Syrian civil war. Last month President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that Ankara will soon launch a new military operation against Kurdish militants in northern Syria.
Ankara considers both the YPG and the SDF as terrorist organisations that are major threats to its national security and has thus defended its actions against the groups, despite international criticism over humanitarian concerns.
The trio also agreed to work closely on the provision of humanitarian aid, facilitating the safe return of refugees to their original places of residence, and establishing an inclusive political process in the country, including drafting a new constitution.
The brutal conflict in Syria has killed close to 400,000 people, forced more than five million to flee as refugees, and displaced another six million within the nation’s borders. The United Nations (UN) estimates suggest that today, more than 13 million people require humanitarian assistance in Syria, along with 90% of all children in the country.