Free Syrian Army Gets Involved in Idlib Battle, Sparking Turkish-Russian Tensions

Displaced families from a village in southern Idlib. (AFP)
Displaced families from a village in southern Idlib. (AFP)
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Free Syrian Army Gets Involved in Idlib Battle, Sparking Turkish-Russian Tensions

Displaced families from a village in southern Idlib. (AFP)
Displaced families from a village in southern Idlib. (AFP)

Factions from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) got involved on Thursday in the Idlib battle after launching a counter-offensive against Syrian regime forces and their allies in the province to push back their advance towards the Abu Dhuhur military airport.

Two military operation rooms were later formed in the north of the province to the direct the battles.

Rebel fighters recaptured a number of villages in the countryside of Idlib and Hama from regime forces.

Photos released by pro-opposition activists, Faylaq Al-Sham and the FSA, showed that those factions have been supplied with Turkish manufactured Type Dragon armored vehicles to combat the regime.

Activists said those photos revealed for the first time the use of Turkish-made equipment, including armored vehicles, in battles against regime forces.

Syrian opposition sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that some factions had long ago received those vehicles, adding that their appearance on Thursday was a very important Turkish message to Russia that Ankara supports counter-attacking regime forces advancing in Idlib.

Turkey is worried about the deployment of Syrian regime forces and their allies in the north of Idlib, where they have established bases, which they said are part of an agreement with Iran and Russia to establish a de-escalation zone in the province.

Turkish presidential sources said that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the phone Thursday and told him that Moscow should stop Syrian attacks on its opposition in Idlib and eastern Ghouta near Damascus, if he wants peace negotiations to succeed.

Also on Thursday, Putin told Russian newspaper editors in a meeting broadcast on state TV that the drone attack on the Russian base in Syria was not launched by Turkey, but was a provocation aimed at destroying previous agreements.

"There were some provocateurs, but they were not Turks. We know who they are, who paid for this provocation and what the actual sum was,” he was quoted by TASS as saying.

No side has claimed responsibility for the drone attack, raising speculation about who may be behind it with fingers being pointed at various players on the Syrian scene.



Palestinian Authority Says Internet Down in Gaza After Attack on Fibre Optic Cable

Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
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Palestinian Authority Says Internet Down in Gaza After Attack on Fibre Optic Cable

Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed

The Palestinian Authority said internet and fixed-line communication services were down in Gaza on Thursday following an attack on the territory's last fibre optic cable it blamed on Israel.

"All internet and fixed-line communication services in the Gaza Strip have been cut following the targeting of the last remaining main fibre optic line in Gaza," the PA's telecommunications ministry said in a statement, accusing Israel of attempting to cut Gaza off from the world, AFP reported.

"The southern and central Gaza Strip have now joined Gaza City and the northern part of the Strip in experiencing complete isolation for the second consecutive day," the ministry said in a statement.

It added that its maintenance and repair teams had been unable to safely access the sites where damage occurred to the fibre optic cable.

"The Israeli occupation continues to prevent technical teams from repairing the cables that were cut yesterday", it said, adding that Israeli authorities had prevented repairs to other telecommunication lines in Gaza "for weeks and months".

The Palestinian Red Crescent said the communication lines were "directly targeted by occupation forces".

It said the internet outage was hindering its emergency services by impeding communication with first responder teams in the field.

"The emergency operations room is also struggling to coordinate with other organisations to respond to humanitarian cases."

Maysa Monayer, spokeswoman for the Palestinian communication ministry, told AFP that "mobile calls are still available with very limited capacity" in Gaza for the time being.

Now in its 21st month, the war in Gaza has caused massive damage to infrastructure across the Palestinian territory, including water mains, power lines and roads.