Turkey Warns Against Disturbing North Syria’s Fragile Balance

Smoke billows after an attack on the Idlib countryside in northwestern Syria. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Smoke billows after an attack on the Idlib countryside in northwestern Syria. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Turkey Warns Against Disturbing North Syria’s Fragile Balance

Smoke billows after an attack on the Idlib countryside in northwestern Syria. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Smoke billows after an attack on the Idlib countryside in northwestern Syria. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Turkey has warned that targeting civilians and harming stability in Syria prevents a lasting solution to the conflict in the war-torn country.

Turkey’s National Security Council stressed that targeting civilians would harm stability in Syria and disturb the “fragile balance” in the region.

In a statement on Thursday, the Council highlighted the responsibility of actors and parties involved in the Syrian conflict to achieve peace, stability and prosperity for Syrians.

Meanwhile, developments in opposition-held Idlib province indicated that there was no significant change in the situation following the meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Wednesday.

The two presidents held talks in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi and discussed curbing renewed violence in northwest Syria.

They agreed to abide by the previous agreements and understandings, whether on Idlib or northeast Syria.

Erdogan said a roadmap to achieve stability in Idlib is being prepared between both countries’ defense and foreign affairs ministers.

Military escalation resumed on Friday in the de-escalation zone in northwestern Syria after hours of calm in Idlib.

Russian warplanes resumed their aerial bombardment in al-Ziyyarah towns in Sahl al-Ghab in the northwestern countryside of Hama, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.



Israel Intensifies Use of Suicide Drones in Gaza

Palestinians inspect damage from an Israeli attack on a displacement shelter school in the Jabaliya refugee camp, northern Gaza (AFP)
Palestinians inspect damage from an Israeli attack on a displacement shelter school in the Jabaliya refugee camp, northern Gaza (AFP)
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Israel Intensifies Use of Suicide Drones in Gaza

Palestinians inspect damage from an Israeli attack on a displacement shelter school in the Jabaliya refugee camp, northern Gaza (AFP)
Palestinians inspect damage from an Israeli attack on a displacement shelter school in the Jabaliya refugee camp, northern Gaza (AFP)

Israel has ramped up its use of small suicide drones in Gaza in recent days, increasingly deploying quadcopter-style devices in targeted strikes, particularly against individuals, according to field sources who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat.
At least nine drones exploded in various areas across the Gaza Strip over a four-day period, with most of the strikes hitting targets inside displacement shelters, the sources said.
While Israel had used such drones sparingly since the war began, their deployment has expanded significantly in recent days, marking the first time they have been used in a concentrated manner to strike senior Palestinian resistance figures, prominent militants, and some employees working in the Hamas-run government.
The quadcopters are small, remotely detonated drones equipped with explosive charges. Designed for precision, they can ignite fires upon detonation, which often leads to a higher casualty toll—particularly in crowded shelters where fires can spread rapidly.
The sources reported an uptick in drone activity in the skies over several areas of the enclave, suggesting Israel may further escalate their use in the coming days as part of a strategy to eliminate targeted individuals.
Meanwhile, the United States said unexploded ordnance now litters much of the Gaza Strip following tens of thousands of Israeli airstrikes, rendering the territory “uninhabitable,” according to Reuters.