Russia moves into Syrian territory abandoned by U.S.
The United States said its forces had left the key northern Syrian
city of Manbij on Tuesday as the Syrian regime made territorial gains in
the region and Russian troops moved into flashpoint areas, vowing to
prevent clashes between Turkey and Syrian forces.
The Syrian military's deployment near the Turkish border comes after Syrian Kurdish forces previously allied with the U.S. said they had reached a deal with President Bashar Assad's government to help them fend off Turkey's invasion.
A Russian presidential envoy to Syria said on Tuesday that Moscow had brokered the deal between the Kurds and the Assad government - and that Russia would not let a Turkey-Syria clash happen. Speaking during a Putin visit to the UAE, Sergei Lavrantiev said Damascus and Ankara were in "real-time dialogue."
The rapidly changing situation was set in motion last week, when U.S. President Donald Trump ordered American troops in northern Syria to step aside, clearing the way for an attack by Turkey, which regards the Kurdish fighters as terrorists. Faced with unrelenting criticism, Trump said Monday he was putting new sanctions on Turkey, halting trade negotiations and raising steel tariffs in an effort to pressure Ankara to stop its offensive. Vice President Mike Pence also said Trump was sending him to the Middle East because the president was concerned about instability in the region.
12:40 The Syrian army has taken control of military bases in northern Syria left behind by U.S. forces, according to Russian state TV.
02:34 A.M. Trump to meet U.S. lawmakers on Syria at White House on Wednesday
Source: https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/syria/live-updates-russia-moves-into-syrian-territory-abandoned-by-u-s-1.7992500
The Syrian military's deployment near the Turkish border comes after Syrian Kurdish forces previously allied with the U.S. said they had reached a deal with President Bashar Assad's government to help them fend off Turkey's invasion.
A Russian presidential envoy to Syria said on Tuesday that Moscow had brokered the deal between the Kurds and the Assad government - and that Russia would not let a Turkey-Syria clash happen. Speaking during a Putin visit to the UAE, Sergei Lavrantiev said Damascus and Ankara were in "real-time dialogue."
The rapidly changing situation was set in motion last week, when U.S. President Donald Trump ordered American troops in northern Syria to step aside, clearing the way for an attack by Turkey, which regards the Kurdish fighters as terrorists. Faced with unrelenting criticism, Trump said Monday he was putting new sanctions on Turkey, halting trade negotiations and raising steel tariffs in an effort to pressure Ankara to stop its offensive. Vice President Mike Pence also said Trump was sending him to the Middle East because the president was concerned about instability in the region.
12:40 The Syrian army has taken control of military bases in northern Syria left behind by U.S. forces, according to Russian state TV.
02:34 A.M. Trump to meet U.S. lawmakers on Syria at White House on Wednesday
Source: https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/syria/live-updates-russia-moves-into-syrian-territory-abandoned-by-u-s-1.7992500
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