俄罗斯警告说，在美国从这个饱受战争蹂躏的国家的敌对派别之间迫在眉睫的冲突中撤出后，它将阻止土耳其袭击叙利亚军队。
克里姆林宫驻叙利亚特使亚历山大·拉夫伦季耶夫(Alexander Lavrentiev)淡化了土耳其和叙利亚军队之间发生冲突的危险，周二对俄罗斯新闻社(RIA Novosti)表示，“首先，这场冲突不仅没有人感兴趣，而且是完全不可接受的。”
“我们不会允许这样，”他说。
同一家媒体援引俄罗斯国防部的话说，俄罗斯军队已经部署在参与叙利亚八年内战的两支对立武装部队之间的前线。俄罗斯和伊朗一起支持叙利亚总统巴沙尔·阿萨德反对土耳其支持的反叛和圣战起义。
第三个派别，主要是库尔德叙利亚民主力量，得到了美国的支持，但由于北约西方军事联盟的成员土耳其动员叙利亚反对派战斗人员打击库尔德分离主义分子，该派别一直处于撤军状态。因此，叙利亚民主力量和叙利亚政府在俄罗斯的领导下达成了一项协议，在面对共同敌人的情况下联合起来。
10月15日，政府军部署在阿勒颇省北部北部城市曼比吉郊区，叙利亚士兵高呼口号，举着国旗和总统巴沙尔·阿萨德的肖像合影留念。俄罗斯警告土耳其不要攻击叙利亚军队，因为他们与一度得到美国支持的库尔德人领导的部队结盟。法新社/盖蒂图片社
美国与地区盟友以色列、卡塔尔和沙特阿拉伯一道，最初也支持叙利亚2011年的起义，但随着俄罗斯、伊朗和盟友民兵帮助支持叙利亚全国陷入困境的军队，先前的反政府成果被逆转。伊斯兰国激进组织(ISIS)的崛起也见证了美国从日益伊斯兰化的反对派向叙利亚民主力量的转变，以击败圣战分子，叙利亚政府也在一场竞争中与圣战分子作战。
库尔德人在叙利亚北部和东部的胜利导致了一个自治政府的建立，这个政府得到了美国事实上的支持，但是没有得到其他地方和地区行为者的承认。土耳其总统雷杰普·塔伊普·埃尔多安下令开展两次跨境行动，旨在瓦解库尔德团体，因为土耳其国内发生叛乱，土耳其政府认为库尔德团体是恐怖组织。上周，在与唐纳德·特朗普总统通电话后，他发动了第三次更深入的入侵。
特朗普长期以来一直表现出从叙利亚撤军的愿望，尤其是在伊拉克和黎凡特伊斯兰国在全国遭到重创之际。他最初表示支持土耳其领导的袭击，但后来与五角大楼官员一起谴责了这一袭击，同时仍从该国撤军。
如同新闻周刊独家报道周一，美国军方已经将叙利亚北部城市曼比伊的阵地移交给即将到来的俄罗斯军队。由于莫斯科对叙利亚军队的支持以及最近库尔德人与大马士革的协议，莫斯科实际上已经成为这座战略城市以及土耳其-叙利亚边境沿线其他潜在城市的担保人。
10月14日，土耳其支持的叙利亚叛军聚集在土耳其边境附近的叙利亚城市曼比吉的北郊，土耳其及其盟友继续袭击由库尔德人领导的部队在叙利亚东北部控制的边境城镇。土耳其希望沿其边境建立一个大约20英里的缓冲区，以遏制库尔德民兵组织，并遣返其收容的360万叙利亚难民中的一些人。
尽管俄罗斯在美国撤离后声称在当地有驻军，但它仍与土耳其保持联系。这两个国家，和伊朗一起他已经建立了一个旨在结束叙利亚内战的三方进程，并于上个月召开会议，希望推动和平。
然而，莫斯科和安卡拉支持反对的进展，德黑兰公开谴责土耳其的行动，这三个国家再次发现自己在叙利亚局势上存在分歧。在阿拉伯世界的其他地方，只有卡塔尔表示支持土耳其的行动。
与此同时，俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京开始对沙特阿拉伯和阿拉伯联合酋长国进行背靠背的国事访问，标志着新的区域拓展。这两个国家最初也支持推翻阿萨德，但随着政府在全国范围内取得胜利，他们的语气有所缓和。
阿布扎比已经重新开放了大马士革大使馆，随着莫斯科对叙利亚的攻势，利雅得也有可能效仿回到阿拉伯联盟因涉嫌战争罪被停职八年后。
据英国广播公司国际卫生系统马克特报道，一张地图显示了截至10月7日叙利亚的控制区。此后，土耳其支持的叙利亚叛军在边境地区取得了进展，而叙利亚政府已经接管了此前由美国支持的库尔德人领导的部队占据的一些关键阵地。
RUSSIA 'WILL NOT ALLOW' TURKEY TO ATTACK SYRIA AS IT SENDS TROOPS TO FRONT LINES
Russia has warned it would prevent Turkey from attacking Syrian troops after the U.S. withdrew from a looming clash between rival factions in the war-torn country.
Alexander Lavrentiev, the Kremlin's special envoy to Syria, downplayed the danger of a clash between the Turkish and Syrian militaries, telling RIA Novosti Tuesday that "the collision, first of all, it is not just that no one is interested, it is simply unacceptable."
"We will not allow this," he said.
The same outlet cited the Russian Defense Ministry as saying that its troops had been deployed to the front lines between the two opposing armed forces engaged in Syria's eight-year civil war. Russia, alongside Iran, has backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against a rebel and jihadi uprising supported by Turkey.
A third faction, the mostly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces were supported by the U.S., but have been left behind by an ongoing withdrawal as Turkey, a member of the NATO Western military alliance, mobilized Syrian opposition fighters in an operation to take on Kurdish separatists. As a result, the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian government have struck a deal under Russia to join forces in the face of their common foe.
Syrian soldiers chant slogans as they pose for a group photo with a national flag and portraits of President Bashar al-Assad on the outskirts of the northern city of Manbij in the north of Aleppo province as government forces deploy there on October 15. Russia has warned Turkey not to attack Syrian troops as they allied with once-U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces.
The U.S., along with regional allies Israel, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, also initially supported Syria's 2011 uprising, but earlier anti-government gains were reversed as Russia, Iran and allied militias helped to bolster beleaguered Syrian troops across the country. The rise of the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) also saw the U.S. shift from an increasingly Islamist opposition to the Syrian Democratic Forces to defeat the jihadis, whom the Syrian government also battled in a rival campaign.
Kurdish-led victories throughout Syria's north and east led to the establishment of an autonomous administration that received de facto backing from the U.S., but was left unrecognized by other local and regional actors. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ordered two cross-border operations designed to dismantle Kurdish groups his government considered terrorist organizations because of an insurgency at home. Last week he launched a third, deeper incursion following a phone call with President Donald Trump.
Trump has long demonstrated a desire to withdraw from Syria, especially as ISIS was decimated across the country. He initially signaled support for the Turkish-led attack, but has since joined Pentagon officials in condemning it while still withdrawing troops from the country.
As Newsweek reported exclusively Monday, the U.S. military has handed over positions in the northern Syrian city of Manbij to incoming Russian forces. Moscow, as a result of its support for Syrian troops and the recent Kurdish deal with Damascus, has effectively become a guarantor for the strategic city and potentially others located along the explosive Turkish-Syrian border.
Turkey-backed Syrian rebels gather on the northern outskirts of the Syrian city of Manbij near the Turkish border on October 14 as Turkey and its allies continue their assault on border towns held by Kurdish-led forces in northeastern Syria. Turkey wants to create a roughly 20-mile buffer zone along its border to keep Kurdish militias at bay and also to send back some of the 3.6 million Syrian refugees it hosts.ZEIN AL RIFAI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
While Russia has asserted its presence on the ground in the wake of the U.S. departure, it has remained in contact with Turkey. The two countries, along with Iran, have formed a trilateral process designed to end Syria's civil war and met as recently as last month in hopes of pushing for peace.
With Moscow and Ankara behind opposing advances and Tehran outright condemning the Turkish operation, however, the three again found themselves at odds over the situation in Syria. Elsewhere in the Arab World, only Qatar has voiced support for Turkey's actions.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin signaled new regional outreach by embarking on back-to-back state visits to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. These two countries also initially supported the overthrow of Assad, but have tempered their tones as the government secured nationwide victories.
Abu Dhabi has already reopened its Damascus embassy, with Riyadh potentially following suit as Moscow campaigns for Syria's return to the Arab League after an eight-year suspension due to alleged war crimes.
A map shows areas of control in Syria as of October 7, as reported by IHS Markit via BBC. Turkish-backed Syrian rebels have since made gains across the border, while the Syrian government has assumed control of some key positions held by previously-U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces.
