Kremlin Rebuffs Trump on Syria, Says Military Action Justified
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Kremlin on Monday rebuffed criticism from US President Donald Trump of Russian and Syrian military action in Syria’s Idlib province, saying it was justified.
Trump on Sunday urged Russia and Syrian forces to stop bombing Idlib, following a Friday Kremlin statement that signaled Moscow would continue to back a month-long Syrian offensive there.
When asked about Trump’s criticism on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that militants were using Idlib as a base to launch attacks against civilian and military targets, which is unacceptable, according to Reuters.
The new wave of attacks comes as Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has repeatedly vowed to retake every inch of the territory once controlled by militants and terrorist groups.
Many of the terrorists holding out in Idlib are militants who once fought in other areas in Syria and were transferred to the northwestern province as part of deals with the government to hand over the occupied territories and disarm.