Russian media sources said Moscow sent reinforcements to Manbij while it was reported that Russian jets were intensifying flights over Northwestern Syria in the past days.
The Russian Defense Ministry did not comment on both issues, however, Russian sources said Moscow is keeping all parties under surveillance in case clashes broke out.
Citing the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), Russian media reported that clashes erupted in Rwayhat Jaradah in the southern countryside of Idlib on Tuesday, between regime forces and loyalists and factions and groups close to Turkey.
Meanwhile, SOHR sources monitored heavy flights of Russian jets and reconnaissance drones over Idlib and Aleppo countryside. Regime forces also shelled places in Saraqeb countryside, east of Idlib.
The Russian army has brought military reinforcements to cities of Manbij and Ain Al-Arab that are under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and pro-regime forces. According to media sources, dozens of Russian armored vehicles and personnel arrived in the region to bolster presence near the Turkish border.
Observers the move aims to reinforce the sites of the regime and Russia, especially after Ankara announced intention to launch a military operation in the region. They added that these developments occurred in coordination with the SDF.
Russian sources, however, stated that these acts don’t seek escalation but surveillance to prevent any slippery into clashes’ renewal.
Notably, Moscow and Ankara signed in October an agreement to run joint patrols 10 km from the Turkish border in an agreed region that excludes the city of Qamishli.
