Russia bombs Turkish-allied militia positions in Syria

Russia's Damascus-allied aviation on Wednesday bombed positions of pro-Ankara militias in Syria's northwestern Idlib province amid the arrival of Turkish reinforcements in the Arab country, interpreted as preparations for a possible offensive.
 
"In response to repeated attacks by Turkish regime-backed armed terrorist groups on Syrian Arab Army-controlled sites in the liberated areas of Idlib, Russian air forces targeted positions of these groups," the official Syrian news agency SANA reported.
 
According to SANA, the bombing destroyed a number of underground shelters housing a group of "terrorists", as well as an unspecified number of weapons and items used to make drones.
 
Russia, which has been intervening militarily in Syria since 2015 on behalf of President Bashar al-Assad, and Turkey, a supporter of the opposition, agreed two years ago to establish a ceasefire in Idlib, considered the last opposition stronghold in the country and where Damascus controls some areas, mainly in the south.
 
Russian aircraft often provide air support to government troops during their operations and, despite the ceasefire, it is not uncommon for them to carry out bombing raids in Idlib, although they are usually directed against rebel targets in specific areas.
 
The airstrike against Pro-Turkish militias comes after the tenth Turkish convoy to cross the border this month arrived in northern Syria yesterday, a shipment that included tanks, armoured vehicles and trucks carrying supplies, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights NGO.
 
The arrival of convoys along with an intensification of attacks on Kurdish targets has reignited fears of Turkey launching a new offensive against northern Syria, as its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been threatening.
 
Erdogan announced in May that a 'new phase' of the military operation he launched three years ago against northern Syria would soon be launched, with Ankara aiming to establish a 30km-wide 'safe zone' along the border between the two nations.