Russian Military Actions Lead to Syria Rift with Turkey

Tensions between Moscow and Istanbul came to the forefront on Tuesday, after Russian fighter jets violated Turkish airspace multiple times, highlighting the two powers’ conflicting goals in Syria’s ongoing civil war.

As Russia’s aerial campaign pushes into its second week, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is quickly realizing that his “long-held ambition of persuading Western allies to establish a safe zone in northern Syria has crumbled,” the New York Times reports.

According to Mensur Akgu, director of the Global Political Trends Center, a research center based in Turkey, “The Russian presence has changed the entire parameters in Syria, including a safe zone. No one will dare confront Russia.”

A New Reality for Syrian Opposition Forces with Russian Aerial Campaign

Russia’s military intervention in Syria has created a new reality for opposition forces across the war-torn country. While Moscow argues that its goal is to destroy the Islamic State, rebels told the Washington Post they believe Russia’s aim is to weaken any and all points of rebellion against beleaguered President Bashar al-Assad.

Russian warplanes hit more than 100 targets in Syria by Monday, most of which were located in areas controlled by the umbrella opposition group Jaish al-Fatah. While the rebel coalition includes hard-line Islamist groups such as al-Nusra Front, the al-Qaida branch in Syria, it also includes more moderate groups including the Western-backed Free Syrian Army.

Given the increased accuracy of Russia’s airstrikes in comparison to that of the Syrian government forces, rebel groups – from CIA-backed moderates to radical Islamists – are calling on regional backers, the likes of Turkey and the Gulf countries, to step up their support and provide more high-tech weaponry such as anti-aircraft missiles.

Assad and Russia Stage Coordinated Assault on Rebel Positions

Backed by Russian warplanes, the Syrian army and its allied militias began a coordinated military assault on Wednesday morning on rebel positions across western Syria, the Daily Star reports.

In what appears to be the first coordinated attack since the Russian military intervened last week, Russian jets targeted the northern parts of Hama province and areas of Idlib close to the main north–south highway. Sources told the Lebanese daily newspaper that Syrian government forces were supported by Hezbollah and Iranian fighters, but that there was no clear sign yet of Russian involvement on the ground.

Reuters news agency reported last week that President Assad and his allies were preparing for a ground offensive in the north of the country, with the intention of retaking territory lost to opposition forces over the past year.

Top Image: A Russian warship passes through the Bosphorus, in Istanbul, en route to the Mediterranean Sea, on Tuesday, October 6, 2015. Russia began launching military operations in Syria last Wednesday, targeting mainly central and northwestern Syria, strategic regions that are the gateway to its long-term ally President Bashar al-Assad’s main strongholds. (Associated Press)

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• Newsweek: How Putin Wins in Syria
• Foreign Affairs: Strange Bedfellows in Syria
• Reuters: How Iranian General Plotted Out Syrian Assault in Moscow
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• The Wall Street Journal: Islamic State Scrambles to Stem Exodus of Skilled Workers