Growing Crisis In Northwest Syria As Turkish And Syrian Forces Now Face Each Other

CNN: For the first time in 9 years, two nation states are going toe-to-toe in Syria

Syria's curse, as its conflict rumbles slowly towards its first decade, has always been how new forces enter the war just when it seems that exhaustion might slow everyone down.

But over the past week, a starker evolution has occurred, one that's been lost amid fatigue around the seemingly endless violence. Two of the most influential actors there -- Turkey and the Syrian regime -- have stopped fighting purely through proxies, and instead taken to directly attacking each other.

It is a seismic development: Turkish troops being repeatedly killed by Syrian forces, and then Ankara exacting a revenge toll on Bashar al-Assad's men. The expectation has always been that Moscow -- the forceful, long-term backer of Assad but also the fair-weather and awkward new friend of NATO member Turkey -- would step in and negotiate a pause. But they haven't yet, despite repeated phone calls between Ankara and Moscow. And they might not.

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WNU Editor: The Syrian army backed by Russia is not going to stop .... Syria's army pushes into Idlib province (Al Jazeera). Bottom line. Turkey has few options .... Turkey's options dry up in Syria as Russia backs Assad push (DW).

More News On Turkey's Predicament In Syria

Erdogan vies for leverage in Syria's Idlib as Turkish troops reinforce positions -- Al-Monitor
Syrian Attacks Draw Turkey Deeper Into Syrian War -- The New York Times
Erdogan: Turkey will hit Syrian government forces 'anywhere' -- Al Jazeera
Buoyed by U.S., Erdogan Vows to Expel Syrian Army From Idlib - Bloomberg
Syria war: Government will pay 'heavy price' for attacking Turkish troops -- BBC
Crisis Grows in Northwest Syria As Thousands Flee Toward Turkish Border -- Foreign Policy