Turkey vows to block terrorism in fragile Syrian conflict

The Turkish minister stated that Ankara is opposed to any actions that may further destabilize the situation in the region and would "never allow terrorist activities against Turkey nor against Syrian civilians," said Fidan, as quoted by the Turkish agency Anadolu. He assured that Turkey supports efforts to reduce tensions in Syria.

Fidan added that for peace in Syria to be achieved, the "political process" between the regime and the opposition must be concluded.

Fighters from the Syrian organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and their allies commenced an offensive against government forces on Wednesday. According to press reports, the rebels captured Aleppo on Saturday and continued their advance. There are heavy clashes between government forces and Islamist militias, and the air forces of Russia and Syria bombed Aleppo on Saturday. Over 300 people have already died in the fighting.

Reuters emphasized that the rebels comprise a coalition of Turkish-supported combat groups and the Islamist HTS, the most formidable opposition fighting force.

These are the most serious clashes in Syria since 2020 when Russia and Turkey-backed rebels reached an agreement that ended most of the fighting.

As reported by the Associated Press on Sunday, after gaining control of most of the city of Aleppo and the local airport, rebels began occupying towns and villages in the nearby Hama province.

Turkey became directly militarily involved in Syria in 2016 to achieve its long-term goals — demonstrating strength in the region and securing itself against Kurdish groups. Ankara views as a threat not only the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), representing Turkish Kurds — an organization also recognized as terrorist by the EU and the US — but also the People's Protection Units (YPG) operating in Syria.