Intel: Why Russia went on counteroffensive against US criticism over Idlib

The Russian Foreign Ministry has announced the killing of “several Russian and Turkish military specialists” in the Idlid de-escalation zone last month. In a statement released Feb. 6, the ministry details Russian grievances over what it calls “dangerous escalations and a surge of violence in Idlib.” The ministry said terrorists from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group had hijacked the de-escalation zone and intensified the attacks in December and January. Moscow said that over the two last weeks, Russian, Syrian and Turkish military forces were targeted about 1,000 times while Russia’s Khmeimim air base in Syria has been constantly repelling drone attacks.

Why it matters: In the last few weeks, political pressure on Russia has been augmented by both Turkey and the United States. Al-Monitor’s Laura Rozen reported that Washington has pointed out the disastrous humanitarian implications of the latest Russia-backed Syrian army assaults in Idlib. So has Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — for whom the stakes are high as a new refugee crisis that would directly affect his country looms on the horizon.