President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed recent developments in Syria during a speech late yesterday following his first cabinet meeting after the fall of the Baath regime.
In his remarks, the president praised the capture of Tel Rifaat and Manbij by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), describing it as a long-anticipated outcome. Erdoğan highlighted Turkey’s long-standing goal of reclaiming these territories from the SDF, which Ankara considers the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a group that has waged an armed insurgency for four decades.
Turkey-backed forces seize Manbij city in northern Syria
Referring to the SDF’s control of certain areas in southern Syria following the withdrawal of government forces, Erdoğan said, “We are closely monitoring the overly ambitious attempts of the separatist organization’s Syrian branch to exploit the chaos for its own gain. To those making different calculations, let me remind you: The wolf knows as many paths as the jackal knows tricks."
Fall of Baath and Israeli expansion
On Nov 27, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a jihadist group, launched a large-scale attack against areas held by the Syrian army, eventually resulting in the fall of the capital Damascus and the Baath rule on Dec 8. Meanwhile Turkish-backed factions initiated operations in the northern Syria targeting Kurdish-controlled areas. Tel Rifaat fell to the SNA on Dec 4, and Manbij followed on Dec 9.
In the aftermath of the regime’s collapse, Israel expanded its occupation in the Golan Heights, entering the demilitarized zone and launching countrywide airstrikes. These bombardments reportedly targeted ammunition depots and missile systems left behind by the Syrian army across the country.
Israel has occupied the Golan Heights since 1967, and a 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria defined a demilitarized buffer zone. Despite this, the US has argued that the arrangement is temporary.
Notably, Erdoğan’s speech did not address Israel’s actions or the Golan Heights issue. (VK)
