BAGHDAD — On land, Syria’s government is mustering thousands of conscripts to bolster its depleted forces. At sea, a Russian naval flotilla is just offshore, ready to intervene with formidable firepower. In Idlib Province, millions of civilians are dreading what comes next.
The warring sides in Syria’s long and merciless civil war are preparing for another brutal offensive, and this one may be the last.
The looming assault on Idlib Province is the one the government in Damascus hopes will deliver the final military blow against the rebel fighters and their civilian supporters who rose up more than seven years ago demanding regime change.
Where Syria and its Russian and Iranian allies see a chance to crush the remaining opposition, Western leaders warn of a humanitarian calamity in Idlib, where an estimated three million civilians live.
And defeating the rebel forces in Idlib is likely to exact a devastating toll on civilians, who have endured the brunt of the suffering since Syria’s conflict erupted in 2011. More than 350,000 people have been killed, and more than 11 million have fled their homes.
The State Department on Friday also warned in a statement that “the United States will respond to any chemical weapons attack perpetrated by the Syrian regime.”
Despite these international pleas, Syrian and Russian officials over the weekend were openly preparing to oust the formidable rebel forces still active in the province.
Syria’s deputy prime minister, Walid Moallem, said in an interview with Russian television on Saturday that capturing Idlib was a priority, given the widespread presence of “terrorists” there, a reference to the Islamist fighting groups, including Syria’s strongest rebel faction, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or H.T.S., which is affiliated with Al Qaeda.
H.T.S. has controlled much of Idlib since 2015, acting as de facto governmental authority, facilitating trade across the long border with Turkey and organizing aid deliveries.
