Qatari FM decries ongoing regime attacks in NW Syria

By Ahmed al-Masri

DOHA

Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani on Wednesday said continued attacks by the Assad regime in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province are intended to prevent a political solution to the crisis.

“Continued attacks in Idlib are intended to undermine a political solution to the Syria crisis and kill civilians and the regime’s opponents on the pretext of fighting terrorist groups,” the foreign minister tweeted.

At least 70 civilians have recently been killed in Idlib -- and more than 185 injured -- by ongoing airstrikes, according to the White Helmets, a pro-opposition Syrian civil defense organization.

On Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called on both Iran and Russia to fulfill their responsibilities as “guarantor states” in Syria’s stumbling political process.

Last October, Syrian regime forces launched a major offensive in Syria’s Hama province with the support of Iranian-backed militias and Russian air cover.

Earlier this week, the offensive advanced into Idlib province towards the opposition-held Abu al-Duhur military airbase.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.