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Turkish Forces Nearly Ready for a Syria Ground Operation, Say Officials

Türkiye-backed Syrian fighters man positions on the outskirts of the town of Kuljibrin, in the country's northern Aleppo governorate, facing positions of the Kurdish-controlled area of Tal Rifaat, on November 25, 2022.(AFP)
Türkiye-backed Syrian fighters man positions on the outskirts of the town of Kuljibrin, in the country's northern Aleppo governorate, facing positions of the Kurdish-controlled area of Tal Rifaat, on November 25, 2022.(AFP)
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Turkish Forces Nearly Ready for a Syria Ground Operation, Say Officials

Türkiye-backed Syrian fighters man positions on the outskirts of the town of Kuljibrin, in the country's northern Aleppo governorate, facing positions of the Kurdish-controlled area of Tal Rifaat, on November 25, 2022.(AFP)
Türkiye-backed Syrian fighters man positions on the outskirts of the town of Kuljibrin, in the country's northern Aleppo governorate, facing positions of the Kurdish-controlled area of Tal Rifaat, on November 25, 2022.(AFP)

Türkiye’s army needs just a few days to be ready for a ground incursion into northern Syria and such a decision may come at a cabinet meeting on Monday, Turkish officials said, as Turkish forces bombarded a Kurdish group across the border.

Howitzers fired daily from Türkiye have struck Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) targets for a week, while warplanes have carried out airstrikes.

The escalation comes after a deadly bomb attack in Istanbul two weeks ago that Ankara blamed on the YPG. The YPG has denied involvement in the bombing and has responded at times to the cross-border attacks with mortar shelling.

"The Turkish Armed Forces needs just a few days to become almost fully ready," one senior official said, adding that Türkiye-allied Syrian opposition fighters were ready for such an operation just a few days after the Nov. 13 Istanbul bomb.

"It won't take long for the operation to begin," he said. "It depends only on the president giving the word."

Türkiye has previously launched military incursions in Syria against the YPG, regarding it as a wing of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which Türkiye, the United States and European Union designate a terrorist group.

The PKK has also denied carrying out the Istanbul attack, in which six people were killed on a busy pedestrian avenue.

President Tayyip Erdogan has Türkiye would launch a land operation when convenient to secure its southern border. He will chair a cabinet meeting at 3:30 pm (1230 GMT).

"All the preparations are complete. It's now a political decision," another Turkish official told Reuters, also requesting anonymity ahead of the meeting.

Erdogan said back in May that Türkiye would soon launch a military operation against the YPG in Syria, but such an operation did not materialize at that time.

Operation ‘inevitable’

The first Turkish official said a ground operation, targeting the areas of Manbij, Kobani and Tel Rifat, was inevitable to link up the areas brought under the control of Türkiye and its Syrian allies with incursions since 2016.

Ankara had been in contact with Moscow and Washington about its military activities, the person added.

The United States has told NATO member Türkiye it has serious concerns that an escalation would affect the goal of fighting ISIS militants in Syria.

Russia asked Türkiye to refrain from a full-scale ground offensive. It has supported Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the country's 11-year war, while Ankara has backed opposition factions fighting to topple him.

On Monday, the defense ministry said Türkiye’s army had "neutralized" 14 YPG militants preparing to carry out attacks in Syrian areas under Türkiye’s control. It typically uses the term to describe casualties.

The defense ministry said on Saturday three Turkish soldiers had been killed in northern Iraq, where the military has been conducting an operation against the PKK since April.

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, having travelled to the Iraqi border area, was quoted as telling military commanders on Sunday that Türkiye will "complete the tasks" of the mission.

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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.