(Zaman Al Wasl)- Thousands of Syrians came out to the streets of rebel-held areas on Friday to rally against the imminent regime offensive on the northern province.
At least 20 civilians killed in the Russian airstrikes on Idlib in the past 72 hours, four today, as hundreds of civilians have been fleeing villages near the front line in Idlib fearing an imminent regime assault on the country's last major rebel bastion.
Demonstrators also denounced a summit in Tehran between the leaders of rebel backer Turkey and regime allies Russia and Iran to determine the province's fate.
"We all came to protest to say that this people will not back down and will not return to the era of (President) Bashar al-Assad," said Abdurazzaq Awwad, a father-of-one in Idlib city.
"We expect the Turks to stand by this people," said Awwad, 31.
"We are not happy at all that the fate of Idlib is being decided in Tehran," said Awwad, who sported a black beard and wore a white shirt.
"Idlib's fate should be decided by its people."
Around him, protesters held up the three-star flag of the Syrian opposition.
"Your plots and conferences mean nothing to us," read one sign.
Yussef Sadiq, 35, condemned the conference in Tehran as "Iran is part of the problem."
"Most Syrians hope that Turkey's efforts will succeed in stopping an assault against Idlib and in protecting its population," said the bespectacled young man, whose home city of Aleppo was retaken by regime forces in late 2016 after a crippling siege and deadly bombardment.
The situation in Idlib, the rebels' only remaining major stronghold, is an immediate issue as President Bashar Assad's forces, backed by Russia and Iran, prepare for what could be the conflict's last decisive battle.
The United Nations has warned an assault could lead to a humanitarian catastrophe. But as the leaders gathered in Tehran, Russian and regime warplanes hit rebel-held parts of Idlib, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights activist group said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a ceasefire in Idlib and said an anticipated regime assault could result in a massacre.
But Russia's President Vladimir Putin said Moscow opposed a truce, and Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani said the Assad regime must regain control over all its territory.
The three presidents, whose countries' are key foreign players in Syria's long civil war, were speaking at a summit in Tehran aimed at charting a way to end the conflict.
Tehran and Moscow have helped Assad turn the course of the war against an array of opponents ranging from Western-backed rebels to Islamist militants, while Turkey is a leading opposition supporter and has troops in the country.
Their discussions in Tehran could mark a turning point in a seven-year-old war which has killed more than half a million people and forced 11 million to flee their homes.
In opening remarks, Erdogan called on Putin and Rouhani to agree to a ceasefire in Idlib, saying such an accord would be a "victory" of their summit.
However, Putin responded that he opposed a ceasefire because Nusra Front and Daesh (ISIS) militants located there were not part of peace talks. Syria should regain control of all its territory, he said.
"The fact is that there are no representatives of the armed opposition here around this table. And more still, there are no representatives of Jabhat al-Nusra or Islamic State or the Syrian army," Putin said.
"I think in general the Turkish president is right. It would be good. But I can't speak for them, and even more so can't talk for terrorists from Jabhat al-Nusra or Islamic State that they will stop shooting or stop using drones with bombs."
Rouhani also said the battle in Syria would continue until militants are pushed out of the whole country, especially in Idlib, but he added that any military operations should avoid harming civilians.
He called on all militants in Syria to disarm and seek a peaceful end to the conflict.
The Assad government was not directly represented at the summit, nor was the United States or other Western powers.
Widely abhorred internationality for the brutal conduct of the war, Assad has largely reclaimed most of Syrian territory though much of it is ravaged.
As the conflict approaches its endgame, Iran, Turkey and Russia are seeking to safeguard their own interests after investing heavily militarily and diplomatically in Syria.
"The battle for Idlib is going to be the final major battle," said Hilal Khashan, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut.
"It will be waged irrespective of civilian casualties, even though they will make an effort to minimize it."
Zaman Al Wasl, Agencies
Zaman Al Wasl
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