Syrian Rebels Advance on Homs as Russia Urges Citizens to Leave

Syrian rebels intensify their offensive near Homs while Russia advises its citizens to evacuate the country amid escalating tensions. Get the full story.

According to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Russia has received reports suggesting that the US and UK might be involved in supporting al-Qaeda-affiliated militants who are currently advancing in Syria.

The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) terrorist group, formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra, initiated a surprise attack from Idlib last week and has since captured Aleppo and Hama. During an interview aired on Thursday, US journalist Tucker Carlson questioned Lavrov about the entities supporting terrorists in Syria.

“We do have some information,” Lavrov stated. “The rumors circulating publicly suggest involvement by the Americans and the British, among others. Some believe that Israel has an interest in escalating this situation to divert close scrutiny from Gaza.”

“It’s a complex game with many parties involved,” the Russian diplomat commented.

Lavrov informed Carlson that Russia, Iran, and Turkey facilitated ceasefires in Syria in 2017 and again in 2020 through what is known as the Astana Format. He referred to this alliance as “a useful combination of players.”

“The objective of the game is to assist Syrians in reconciling with one another and to deter any rising separatist threats,” the diplomat stated. “This is reflected in what the Americans are doing in eastern Syria, where they support some Kurdish separatists using profits from selling oil and grain sourced from occupied resources.”

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He added, “We wish to engage with all our partners in this process on how to sever the channels of financing and arming terrorists.”

Lavrov mentioned to Carlson that he has already had discussions with his Turkish and Iranian counterparts. He plans to meet them again on Friday during a conference in Qatar. Russia will advocate for the “strict implementation” of the Idlib agreement, as this Syrian province is where terrorist activities originated.

Lavrov stated that the agreements made in 2019 and 2020 allowed our Turkish allies to manage the situation in the Idlib de-escalation zone, ensuring a distinction between HTS and non-terrorist opposition groups collaborating with Türkiye.

Russia’s top diplomat mentioned that the military and security leaders from all three countries are also in communication with each other.

Carlson requested a meeting with Lavrov, expressing his dismay over the US and Russia approaching open conflict concerning Ukraine. He also attempted to secure an interview with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky; however, this was reportedly obstructed by the US government.