Sources from the agency revealed that the Syrian rebels notified Ankara about their plans for a major offensive approximately six months ago and "felt that they received its tacit approval."
The authors of the article note that since the onset of the war, which began in Syria 13 years ago, Turkey has been the primary sponsor of the Syrian opposition, and the rebels could not act without informing Ankara.
According to journalists, the operation was planned by the leader of the Islamist group "Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham" (which Turkey considers a terrorist organization), Abu Muhammad al-Julani (real name Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa).
Reuters sources indicate that the Turkish leadership, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has long opposed a large-scale military operation by the Syrian rebels, fearing a new wave of refugees from Syria. However, at the beginning of 2024, Ankara's stance on this issue softened in light of Assad's refusal to accept Erdoğan's proposal for a political resolution to the "military stalemate" in Syria.
Six months ago, the rebels presented Ankara with a detailed plan for the upcoming offensive, accompanied by a message along the lines of: "You don’t need to do anything, just don’t interfere," writes Reuters.