Syria's Agriculture Minister Mohamed Hassan Qatna said that ongoing “rigorous” investigations are underway on the fires that broke out in northwestern Hama province.
The minister's statement to Al-Watan daily came in response to claims that fires were contrived as massive blazes have destroyed old forests and affecting the coastal region and Hama.
The residents’ appeals were not quickly answered by the regime, which reinforced the sense of discontent and criticism in the area for the lack of urgency and preparedness to deal with such crises.
“Poverty, humiliation, death. Our sons on the front and fires are all around us, yet no one hears our cries,” one loyalist wrote on Facebook.
The rather surprising stance during this crisis is Russia’s, which, despite having the largest control over the coast and most important bases in Latakia and Tartus, has not reacted in any way to fight these fires. A very much different reaction to the fires of 2016 in Israel, to which Russia sent its planes for the rescue.
Activists have accused Russia of planning to drive the residents of these areas away so to hand over more land for Russia to expand their bases of control and what does this apparent neutrality from the Russian side mean to those it considers as allies.
by Naser Ali
Zaman Al Wasl
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