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BEIRUT – Latest developments in Syria (local time):
9:55 p.m.
The Turkish Ambassador calls on the international community to "vigorously and actively support" Turkish appeals for a comprehensive ceasefire in the last rebel-held Syrian stronghold in Idlib province.
Ambassador Feridun Sinirlioglu told the US Security Council on Tuesday that "a total military operation would lead to a major humanitarian catastrophe" and "trigger a massive refugee outflow and considerable security risks for Turkey, the rest of Europe and beyond".
He said the regime of President Bashar Assad was seeking to legitimize his military operation in Idlib on the grounds that he was fighting terrorism.
But Turkey's envoy warned that such an operation would "create new suffering, alienate and radicalize more Syrians" and "only play in the hands of terrorists".
Sinirlioglu stressed that "only a viable ceasefire would create an environment that effectively combats terrorism".
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9:40 p.m.
The Iranian ambassador to the United States warns the United States, Britain and France against the use of force against Syria "under the pretext" of its alleged use of chemical weapons.
Gholamali Khoshroo told the United States Security Council on Tuesday that Syria's declared chemical weapons had been destroyed and that this would only be a "fabrication to use force" and "further complicate the situation".
Khoshroo last Friday addressed the Iranian and Russian Presidential Council, an ally of the Syrian government and Turkey, which supports the opposition.
He said the three presidents "are determined to continue their cooperation to eliminate all terrorists".
Khoshroo said the fight against terrorism in the last rebel stronghold in Idlib "is an integral part of the mission to restore peace and stability in Syria, but this fight must not harm civilians."
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9:15 p.m.
Russia's envoy to Syria said Russia, Turkey and Iran should be able to reach a compromise on the Syrian rebel-controlled province of Idlib.
President Vladimir Putin's special envoy for Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, stressed that it was incumbent on Turkey to persuade rebels in Idlib to dissociate themselves from al-Qaeda-linked militants. He expressed confidence that the Russian, Turkish and Iranian armed forces could negotiate a mutually acceptable position on Idlib.
Lavrentiev spoke after talks in Geneva with the US envoy for Syria and diplomats from Turkey and Iran. They focused on an impending Syrian government offensive on Idlib.
The Russian envoy said the rebels in Idlib were preparing to organize a chemical attack on the Syrian government. He strongly warned the United States and its allies against using this "provocation" to hit Syria. He did not submit any proof of the claim.
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8:55 p.m.
US Ambassador Nikki Haley accuses Syrian President Bashar Assad and his allies, Russia and Iran, of "demolishing" the last rebel stronghold in Idlib and asking Western opponents
Haley, the US special envoy, again warned Assad and his allies that any attack on Idlib would be considered "reckless" by the United States and that "the consequences would be terrible. The world will hold them responsible.
She told the US Security Council on Tuesday that "Russia has the power to stop the impending disaster in Idlib".
Haley said the Trump administration had seen no action "to indicate that Russia, Iran and Assad are interested in a political solution."
"All we have seen is the actions of cowards interested in a bloody military conquest of Idlib," she said.
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8:45 p.m.
The Russian ambassador to the UN said that "terrorists" could not detain hundreds of thousands of people as "human shields" in the last big bastion of Syrian rebels in Idlib where "tens of thousands" of linked fighters to Al Qaeda The state and other extremist groups are concentrated.
Vassily Nebenzia informed the US Security Council last Friday in Tehran of the summit of the Russian, Iranian and Turkish presidents, stressing that the three countries are committed "to continue to help the final elimination of terrorism in Syria".
He told council members on Tuesday that there was "an urgent need" to separate opposition fighters seeking a political settlement from "terrorists" in Idlib, and urged those who had influence to push for it. He also stressed the need to prevent civilian casualties.
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8:00 p.m..
A senior Turkish official said the political advisers to the Turkish, Russian, French and German leaders will meet in Istanbul later this week to discuss Syria and other issues.
Ibrahim Kalin – an advisor to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who will represent Turkey at Friday's meeting – said officials would make "preliminary preparations" for a possible summit between the four leaders. A date for the summit would be fixed later.
Last week, Russia and Iran supported a military action against Idlib, the last region controlled by the rebels in Syria, despite Turkey's call for a ceasefire.
Addressing reporters Tuesday, Mr Kalin said: "The aim is to tackle regional problems, and in particular to Syria, in a coordinated manner. We think that (the summit) will give concrete results. "
He added: "It is not right to put the burden (on Syria) on the shoulders of Turkey and take a step back."
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18.30.
The Russian army said rebels in Syria had launched a chemical attack on the Syrian government.
The Center for Reconciliation in Syria said on Tuesday that teams from several Middle East television channels and an unidentified US television channel had filmed the scene in the city of Jisr al-Shugur, in the province. northwest of Idlib. He did not provide any proof of the claim.
He said the shooting included an alleged attack by the Syrian government by barrels of bombs filled with chlorine.
The statement is the latest in a string of warnings from Russia that rebels in Idlib are planning a chemical attack on Bashar Assad's government and triggering a military strike by the United States and its allies.
US investigators have already attributed several chemical attacks in Syria to government forces, including an attack using Sarin nerve gas against the city of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib in April 2017.
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6:15 p.m.
The Turkish Foreign Minister calls for joint efforts to stop attacks against the last rebel stronghold in Syria and to work together to eliminate terrorist groups in the region.
Mevlut Cavusoglu's remarks on Tuesday are at the heart of fears of an imminent attack by Syrian government forces on Idlib province, in the north of the country, home to some 3 million civilians.
Last week, Iran and Russia supported a military campaign on Idlib despite calls for a ceasefire in Turkey.
"Stop this fight," said Cavisoglu. "And if the concern is the presence of terrorist groups, let's work together to eliminate them."
He added that Turkey is "ready to work with Russia, ready to work with Iran, with the United States, France and the United Kingdom and all partners and actors in Syria".
Cavusoglu was speaking in Bucharest at the end of a trilateral meeting between the Foreign Ministers of Turkey, Romania and Poland.
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2:50 p.m.
A war monitoring group in Syria said 21 pro-government gunmen had been killed in clashes with the ISIS group in southern Syria.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the fighters have died in clashes with militants on Monday night in the Safaa region in the Syrian desert.
Government forces backed by local and regional militia have been fighting militants for weeks in the countryside north of Sweida since militants ambushed the city and surrounding areas in July.
Activists hold about 30 captive civilians since their abduction during the assault. They are thought to be holding them in the Safaa area.
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13h
The Turkish president urged the international community to act to prevent a Syrian government offensive against Idlib, the last big rebel stronghold in Syria.
In an editorial published Tuesday in the Wall Street Journal, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Idlib offensive "would create serious humanitarian and security risks for Turkey, the rest of Europe and beyond."
His comments came a few days after Iran and Russia supported a military campaign in Idlib despite calls for a ceasefire by Turkey.
Syrian government forces, backed by Russia and Iran, have been gathering troops for weeks in preparation for an attack.
Erdogan said the attack would be "indiscriminate attacks to eliminate opposition, not a real or effective campaign against terrorism."
The Turkish president also said that Russia and Iran have the responsibility to put an end to the humanitarian disaster.
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11:30 am
A Syrian combat force backed by the United States said it had launched a campaign to rid ISIS of its last pocket in northeastern Syria.
The Syrian Democratic Forces said that operations began Monday to expel IS militants from Hajin town and surrounding villages on the northeastern banks of the Euphrates River.
The SDF is supported by the US-led international coalition against the IS.
According to the monitoring group of the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, coalition jets have bombed locations through the ISP pocket parallel to the ground offensive of the SDF. The group claims that at least 23 IS fighters were killed in the first 24 hours of the battle.
The jihadist group now holds only a fraction of the territory it occupied at its 2014 peak.
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