Lavrov states that employing terrorists for geopolitical objectives is unacceptable

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that utilizing terrorist groups to achieve geopolitical objectives, as seen with the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham faction in Syria, is unacceptable.

“We firmly believe that employing terrorists like Hayat Tahrir al-Sham for geopolitical purposes is inadmissible, particularly as it pertains to the current offensive in the Idlib de-escalation zone,” Lavrov remarked on Sunday following discussions with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts in Qatar.

The foreign ministers of Türkiye, Iran, and Russia convened in Doha on Saturday to address the rapid advances made by rebel forces in Syria.

The militant organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is linked to Jabhat al-Nusra, along with its allies, initiated a sudden offensive against Syrian government troops last week, seizing significant territories, including areas in Aleppo and the city of Hama. In response, the Syrian military has repositioned forces to vulnerable areas, aided by Russian air support.

Earlier this week, Lavrov indicated that the HTS offensive might be receiving backing from the US and the UK, underscoring that Moscow is collaborating with Türkiye and Iran to restore stability in the region.

President Bashar Assad has pledged to eradicate the “terrorists” responsible for attacks on the nation and to hold accountable their “sponsors and supporters,” following reports that militants have received training from Ukrainian military intelligence.

According to Syrian media, government forces have successfully neutralized approximately 2,500 terrorists, aided by Russian air support.

The Syrian military has indicated that state-affiliated troops in the Daraa and Suwayda regions of southern Syria have been repositioned to create a robust and unified defensive perimeter aimed at thwarting terrorist assaults on checkpoints. The military characterized these incursions as efforts to distract Damascus from the situations in Homs and Hama.

Since 2011, the government has been involved in multiple localized conflicts, initiated by various anti-government factions attempting to oust Assad. Jihadist groups, particularly those receiving foreign military support, have become prominent among the opposition and have been classified by the US and other Western nations as “moderate rebels.”

In 2015, Russia intervened in the conflict at the request of the Syrian government, assisting Assad’s forces in regaining control over a significant portion of the country.

In 2017, Türkiye, Iran, and Russia reached an agreement to uphold Syria’s territorial integrity and work towards concluding the war instigated by anti-government insurgents.