Syria's parliament says Turkey's planned offensive 'illegitimate'

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Syria's parliament yesterday (June 13) discussed Turkey's possible military incursion into the country's north.

A statement released after the session deemed the planned operation "illegitimate" and said its purpose is to change the demography of the region, according to Syria's state-run SANA agency.

What Turkey describes as "safe zones" is nothing but occupation and aggression, said the parliament.

Statements by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whom the statement referred to as the head of the "Turkish regime," about the offensive were against international and humanitarian laws, regulations and norms, according to the parliament.

President Bashar al-Assad of Syria told RT on Friday that both military elements and the people would resist in case of an incursion by Turkey.

Since late May, Turkey has expressed its intention to launch a new military offensive into the Kurdish-controlled regions in Syria's north in an attempt to establish what it calls "safe zones" along the border.

While the US has firmly opposed the idea of a new offensive, Russia has given mixed signals. Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson of the country's Foreign Ministry, said last week that such an incursion would be a direct violation of Syria's territorial integrity whereas Minister Lavrov said during his visit to Ankara on Wednesday (June 8) that Russia "understands" Turkey's security concerns.

Since 2016, Turkey has carried out four major military offensives in Syria, with two of them — the 2018 Afrin offensive and the 2019 "Operation Peace Spring" — being in Kurdish-controlled areas. 

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(SD/VK)