ISTANBUL, December 17. /TASS/. Turkey did not support the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, deemed terrorist and outlawed in Russia) group during the events in Syria, which led to the toppling of Bashar Assad’s administration, says Omer Celik, Spokesman of the ruling Justice and Development Party.
"Some claim that Turkey supported the HTS and gave a command to carry out all these attacks. That is completely false," Celik said on the Haberturk TV channel.
He noted that Turkey has opposed bloodshed in the neighboring country from the start and called for a political settlement.
"However, Assad refused to cooperate," The spokesman said.
In late November, Syria’s armed opposition launched a large-scale offensive against government forces. On December 8, they entered Damascus, while the army withdrew from the Syrian capital. Syria's President Bashar Assad resigned and left the country, issuing directives for the peaceful transfer of authority. On December 10, Mohammed al-Bashir, who had led the so-called Syrian Salvation Government in the Idlib Province since January 2024, announced his appointment as head of Syria’s interim government until March 1, 2025.
According to Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei, the events in Syria were planned by the United States and Israel with support from a "neighboring country," and Iran has proof of these claims.