How Russia is expanding its influence in the Middle East | DW News



The news agency AFP says Russia has carried out airstrikes on a Syrian rebel base in Idlib province. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that at least eight fighters from the jihadist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham were killed in the attack. The group controls swathes of Idlib province – one of the last areas still holding out against President Bashar al-Assad’s rule.

The strikes are just the latest intervention by Russia – Moscow has spent almost a decade helping Assad’s regime fight a civil war that has killed more than 350,000 people. In July, the Kremlin blocked humanitarian aid to rebel-held Idlib province in the country’s northwest – home to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced Syrians.

For more, we talk to Omar Alshogre. He is a Syrian public speaker and human rights activist and currently the Director for Detainee Affairs at the Syrian Emergency Task Force, an US-based organisation supporting the Syrian opposition.

And we speak to Middle East analyst Simon Mabon and Kristin Helberg, a journalist who has written extensively on Syria.

#russia #syria #ukraine

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47 thoughts on “How Russia is expanding its influence in the Middle East | DW News”

  1. The groups in Idlib are jihadists which makes them supporting a bit problematic. The groups active there hate what the West stands for as much as Assad. The FSA is dead and the only group worth supporting are the Kurds.

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  2. TL;DR Will Europe be willing to assist the US in keeping its enemies at bay in places like Syria and so on? Yes, I know there's been European troop pressence from time to time but its essentially nonexistent all others considered. I.E American aid to Syria is over 1.1 billion. European aid is at 175 million. If Europe won't be the military hand, which I understand why, it must be the economical hand. If it does neither then it can't be upset that we couldn't do both.

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  3. Why West should pay help Syria, is not west where is rich full of oil gold and expensive bunch of shikh from Emirates or Saudi Arabia send the people there. That's it Arab should help Arab simple

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  4. My heart goes out to Syria but no way should the international community get involved. Every intervention in the Middle East has come back to bite it in the butt. Even short term successes like the Soviet-Afghan War ended up biting us in the butt. If we help the rebels, the country becomes more unstable and a new ISIS could form. If we overthrow Assad, we could in up with a situation like Lybia or a quagmire like Afghanistan. No thanks. We can give them medicine and food aid but no military help. The only people i would give military help to are the Kurds.

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  5. Russia was invited to Syria by president Assad, as the west were planning to take him out of power. Basically Russia is in Syria to counter the west plan for regime. The west did the same to Libya, killed Gaddafi, devided the country and now they have two governments and many rebel factions fighting for power. They promised Libyans democracy, only to create a failed state.

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  6. If you are rebelling against legitimate government then you should be punished for your actions Syrian rebel held Idlib province should expect any consequences from central government.

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  7. who start bombing Syria as part of Arab spring? thisi American and west gangster. not started by Russia. now american puppet Germany media outlet portraits. American is like a saint. very funny

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  8. DW, How do you completely cut of the Syrian guy Omar who was articulating the struggle completely well to talk with some analyst in the studio. Omar SHOULD have been given more time!

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  9. Not the β€œWhite Helmet” propagandists & part-time freedom fighter or terrorist, depending which side you believe! Ohh I forgot they make videos of them saving people in destroyed buildings & homes! Their behavior is very sketchy at best & abhorrent at worst! SMH

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