Idlib residents await the inevitable attack of Syrian forces


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His canvas: the collapsed concrete roof of a bombed house in the Syrian town of Binnish, in Idlib province held by the opposition.

He painted US President Donald Trump with a shock of yellow hair pointing to the sky. The president brandishes a missile aimed at a green field with crude representations of a machine gun, an artillery and a tank next to a "chemical hazard" icon .

"I drew it [President Trump] give Bashar al-Assad and the regime the green light to hit us with non-chemical weapons, "says Aziz, who oversees his work.

For weeks, Syrian forces have massed on the outskirts of Idlib province, preparing for an offensive aimed at retaking the last part of the country still under the control of the armed opposition.

Earlier this week, the White House issued a statement warning that if Syria used chemical weapons in Idlib, the United States would "react quickly and appropriately."

The Syrians, who still remember President Barack Obama's famous "red line" in 2013, are skeptical.

"Assad used chemical weapons," says Aziz. If the Americans "wanted to remove it or finish it, they would have done it a long time ago".

Videos and interviews obtained by CNN of Idlib show people preparing for the long-awaited government offensive, but well aware that in what could be the final battle, they will probably be alone.

Where were they going to flee?

Sawsan Al-Saed says she will only leave Idlib if diplomacy fails.

Sawsan Al-Saed runs a pharmacy in the provincial capital, also called Idlib.

"I am convinced that there will be no military operation," she said.

Sawsan expects Russia, Syria's largest donor, to enter into a diplomatic agreement with Turkey, which has been the most consistent support for the rebel factions in the north.

If, however, diplomacy fails, she says that she will leave.

"Once we lose hope that we can not stay here, then we will have to escape, to Turkey or Europe," she says. "Most people will go to sea to join Europe."

Nearly 5 million Syrians have left the country since the beginning of the uprising in March 2011. Nearly half of the population of Idlib province, which has more than 3 million inhabitants, has fled or was transported by the Syrian government to other parts of the country. control.

Among them are tens of thousands of jihadist fighters, including many members of what is called Hay & at Tahrir Al-Sham, who, in an effort to gain international support, gave up his former affiliation with Al Qaeda.

For now, even if Sawsan or others wanted to leave Idlib, they can not.

Turkey, which already hosts about 3 million Syrian refugees, has closed the border. Refugees can take refuge in government-controlled areas, but they may face reprisals.

Everything seems calm in the streets of Idlib, although Syrian troops are preparing an attack against the city.

& # 39; I'm not going anywhere & # 39;

The inhabitants of Idlib are stuck between a rock and a difficult place. So, many, like Yousif Al-Ahmad, who runs a well-stocked grocery store, plan to stay put.

"Some people are worried and scared," he says. "Some are planning to flee, but I'm not going anywhere."

As for Trump's warning in Damascus, Yusif shrugs.

"Now he speaks, speaks and speaks, but I do not think he can stop it," he says, referring to the ongoing government offensive.

Ghaith Al-Sayid, a 21-year-old vegetable merchant, quickly admits that he is worried. He is worried about Russian air strikes and fears that civilians, as they usually do, are paying the highest price.

"If they want to hit us," he says, "we should take our women and children out."

Where is the problem?

Quiet in the city, for the moment

Boys play foosball on the sidewalk of Idlib.

The atmosphere in the city of Idlib seems calm. Men sit in cafes, chat, smoke and drink tea and coffee. Boys play foosball on the sidewalk, laugh and joke without, it seems, worry about the world.

Perhaps this facade of calm exists because it is hoped that the leaders of Russia, Turkey and Iran – all key actors in Syria – will reach a compromise and avoid a last bath of blood during their meeting in Tabriz, Iran.

It can be wishful thinking.

Damascus is eager to crush the last pocket of armed resistance, and Russia, in a statement issued by Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, says it will "continue the fight against terrorists until their total and final elimination ".

A diplomatic breakthrough could delay Idlib 's judgment day. A calculation, however, is inevitable.

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