Syria: Expected Protests in Daraa and Sweida in Response to Statements from Tel Aviv… Russian-Syrian Talks in Ankara
Informed sources reported that a meeting is expected to take place between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Syrian counterpart, Asaad al-Shibani, in the Turkish capital, Ankara. A trilateral meeting is also anticipated, including Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan alongside Lavrov and al-Shibani, as part of Ankara’s mediation efforts between Moscow and Damascus.
Lavrov arrived in Ankara on Sunday to hold official talks with his Turkish counterpart, where Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova confirmed that the discussions would cover international, regional, and bilateral issues.
Lavrov had stated last week that high-level contacts are planned between Russia and Syria, emphasizing that the new Syrian authorities are committed to maintaining strategic relations with Moscow and warning against a repetition of the Libyan scenario in Syria.
Response to Netanyahu: Calls for Protests in Daraa and Sweida
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks about the situation in southern Syria triggered widespread reactions, with activists and locals calling for protests in response to his stance, set for March 18th Square in Daraa and Al-Karama Square in Sweida.
Netanyahu had stated, during a ceremony for the graduation of infantry troops, that Israeli forces would remain in the Golan Heights and the buffer zone “for an indefinite period,” stressing that Israel would not allow Syrian forces into southern Syria, while also referring to protecting the Druze community.
