Presidents of Russia and Turkey, Vladimir Putin and Tayyip Erdogan, held a telephone conversation on Friday discussing in particular the developments in the Middle East, and especially in Syria, the Kremlin’s press office said in a statement.
“Opinions were exchanged regarding the current developments in the Middle East, including on the aggravated situation in Syria,” the statement reads.
The situation in Syria aggravated on July 13 when clashes between Arab tribal militias and Druze self-defense groups broke out in the heavily Druze-populated Sweida governorate.
On July 15, the Syrian army entered the governorate’s administrative center, the city of Sweida, and launched a mop-up operation to restore order. Shortly after, Israel began delivering airstrikes on Syrian army convoys, claiming that the operation was geared to protect the Druze population. On July 16, Israel hit a number of strategic targets in Damascus.
Fighting renewed on Friday in the southern Syrian city of Sweida despite a ceasefire that was announced earlier, amid Israeli strikes and incursions into the Syrian territory.
Source: Al-Manar English Website
