Foreign powers urge opposition groups to end fighting and preserve single, united country at talks in Qatar
People wave a Syrian opposition flag after opposition fighters took control of the city of Hama, Syria, on 7 December.People wave a Syrian opposition flag after opposition fighters took control of the city of Hama, Syria, on 7 December.
Lavrov repeatedly pointed out that HTS is listed as a terrorist group by both the UN and the US. He questioned whether the group had moderated from its al-Qaida roots as its leadership claimed, saying “the proof of the pudding is in the eating”. Admitting that he could not forecast the outcome of the fighting, Lavrov said: “Russia helps with the Syrian army with its air force to counter the attacks of terrorists.”
However, the past fortnight has repeatedly shown military events on the ground have left diplomats confounded and struggling to keep abreast. Iran also sees the hand of Israel and the US in the HTS advance, claiming Israel is using the conflict to shut down Iran’s ammunition supply routes through Syria into Lebanon.
It remains unclear whether Erdoğan has any real influence over the HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, and whether the recent HTS rebranding was genuine. Speaking in Doha, Charles Lister from the Middle East Institute said HTS rebranding away from international jihadism predates the current crisis by as much as eight years, but the organisation remained “politically dictatorial using arbitrary arrest of critics, torture and imprisonment.
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