Russia should not allow Syrian dictator Bashar Assad to launch a “reckless escalation” of violence in rebel-held territory, a top U.S. diplomat said Thursday.
Ambassador Nikki Haley, the U.S. representative to the United Nations, reiterated Western warnings that Assad must not use chemical weapons in his expected offensive against Idlib, one of the last areas controlled by opposition groups in northwest Syria. But she called for the regime to scrap plans even for a conventional attack on the provincial city.
“Make no mistake, an Assad regime offensive on Idlib would be a reckless escalation even if chemical weapons were not used,” Haley told the U.N. Security Council meeting. “It is up to Russia to keep this from happening.”
But Russia and Assad seem intent on reclaiming territory held by the Free Syrian Army and other predominantly Arab rebel forces. Haley’s remarks dovetailed reports that Russia has notified U.S. officials of a potential offensive on the other side of the country, where U.S. and rebel forces hold al-Tanf, a key border crossing between Syria and Iraq.
“Moscow’s declaration has sharply raised US commanders’ concerns that American forces would be at risk if a Russian attack goes forward,” according to CNN. “And it has sparked US warnings to Moscow not to challenge the US military presence.”
If Assad retakes Al Tanf and Idlib, then only the U.S.-backed Kurds in northeast Syria would remain in defiance of his rule; and American support for the Kurds is complicated by NATO ally Turkey’s hostility to the Kurds.
“The story of the war in Syria is still being written,” Haley said. “There is still time for those who believe in human dignity to shape history. There is still time for the nations of the world to come to their aid. And there is still time for those who would commit additional acts of human savagery to reconsider their actions. The choice is theirs — and it will dictate our response, in the time and the manner of our choosing.”
