Kremlin advocates for Syria to restore 'constitutional order' amid rebel offensive – ISW

Kremlin officials responded to Syrian opposition forces' offensive into Syrian regime-held territory on November 29 and 30 and expressed interest in using the Syrian peace process to respond to the situation.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said this in a new report, according to Ukrinform.

The report notes that Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed on November 29 that the Syrian opposition forces' offensive is an "encroachment on Syria's sovereignty" and that Russia advocates for Syrian authorities to restore "constitutional order."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke on the phone with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on November 30 to discuss the situation in Syria. The Russian Foreign Ministry claimed that both parties expressed serious concerns about the "dangerous developments" in Aleppo and Idlib provinces. Lavrov and Fidan reportedly discussed the need to coordinate joint Russian-Turkish actions to stabilize the situation, primarily through the Syrian peace process that Russia, Turkey, and Iran launched in December 2016.

The Syrian peace process is a rival political process to the UN-led Geneva Process under UN Security Council Resolution 2254, ISW said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also reportedly initiated a telephone conversation with Lavrov on November 30, during which Lavrov and Araghchi expressed "extreme concern" about the "dangerous escalation" in Syria. Both agreed to intensify joint efforts to stabilize and review the situation through the Syrian peace process.

"It remains unclear whether the Kremlin will be able to deploy additional assets to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime given the high tempo and operational requirements for Russia to continue conducting operations in Ukraine – the Kremlin's priority theater," ISW analysts said.

They added that Russia withdrew S-300 systems from Syria back to Russia in 2022, likely to support Russian operations in Ukraine. ISW collected unconfirmed reports in March 2022 that Russia withdrew Russian soldiers and Wagner militants from Syria, likely to support Russian operations in Ukraine.

Opposition forces led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham have captured dozens of settlements in Syria. On November 29, they entered the country's second-largest city, Aleppo.

Photo: Sergey Alimov/GI