Charles Lister

@Charles_Lister

Senior Fellow & Director of

@MEI_CTE

@MiddleEastInst

@aawsat_News

Columnist. Author of #TheSyrianJihad. Following #Syria, armed groups, #Idlib, #AQ & #ISIS

Washington, DCmei.edu/profile/charle…Joined January 2012

1,278 Following

97.7K Followers

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Charles Lister

@Charles_Lister

Dec 11, 2019

NEW - "The #Syria Effect: #AlQaeda Fractures" - My deep dive into AQ's attempts to exploit the war in #Syria & the implications of its struggles to do so. #Nusra #JFS #HTS #HurasAlDin hudson.org/research/15533

The #Trump admin is a shambles! 1.

@StateDept

dispatches #Syria Envoy Jeffrey to #Turkey to bolster #Ankara amid #Assad attacks in #Idlib. 2.

@SecPompeo

backs Jeffrey up 100%. 3. NatSec Advisor O'Brien destroys 1 & 2 by snapping back at

@margbrennan

, undercutting U.S strategy.

Charles Lister

@Charles_Lister

17h

NEW - #Assad regime-backed "Syrian Electronic Army" has published a video showing the burning wreckage of a #Turkey convoy in #Idlib after strikes by #Syria's Air Force on Feb 3, 2020. It's addressed to "#Trump & its puppet #Erdogan & #NATO."

2:16

8.5K views

From

Omar (Aldimshqi) - عمر

Good map from #Turkey's

@trthaber

, illustrating #TSK's 18 observation posts in NW #Syria. 9 now appear to be 'besieged' within #Assad-controlled territory (red). 9 more remain within the opposition/#HTS zone (green). [via

@RenaNetjes

]

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Kyle Orton

@KyleWOrton

Research focuses on Syria and terrorism | History digressions, particularly on the Soviet Union | Likes are just bookmarks. RTs = ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Bellingcat

@bellingcat

Award-winning open source investigation. Want to donate? See here: patreon.com/bellingcat Our award-winning MH17 podcast: apple.co/36LJURI

Joyce Karam

@Joyce_Karam

Washington Correspondent, The National

@TheNationalUAE

| Adjunct Professor at George Washington University gwu.edu RT≠ Endorsement

Charles Lister

@Charles_Lister

19h

The barbarism of #Syria's conflict illustrated in one picture: - A #Russia mercenary, holding the skull of a former rebel whose corpse has been dug up, kneeling in front of his stolen #UNHCR tent, describing the image as "Our style!" [via

@ruslantrad

]

173

195

NEW -

says the U.S. will "coordinate" with #Turkey a response to #Syria's attacks on its troops in #Idlib. Unclear what that would amount to, for now.

Quote Tweet

Secretary Pompeo

@SecPompeo

· 22h

My condolences to the families of the soldiers killed in yesterday's attack in Idlib. The ongoing assaults by the Assad regime and Russia must stop. I've sent Jim Jeffrey to Ankara to coordinate steps to respond to this destabilizing attack. We stand by our NATO Ally #Turkey.

NEW - Next Friday,

will host a public panel looking at the escalating crisis in #Idlib & NW #Syria, featuring: -

@sahloul

(just back from #Idlib) -

@Elizrael

- & myself, moderated by

@CNN

's excellent

@MarquardtA

. Make sure to RSVP here: mei.edu/events/crisis-

Charles Lister

@Charles_Lister

22h

#pt: Now that the #Assad regime is effectively sealing control of the M5 highway, the prospect of intensified airstrikes on #Idlib city (home to 450,000+) raise the prospect of yet another massive wave of displacement. Already, nearly 700,000 have been displaced since Dec 1.

The situation in #Idlib continues to escalate today: - #SAA helicopter downed (maybe w. MANPADS) - #SAA shelling targets #TSK - #TSK gives artillery support to #NLF-#SNA-#HTS ops - #Russia jets intensify strikes on urban populated centers - 12+ killed in airstrike in #Idlib city

1) Tour entire property 2) Meet all [72] wives & choose main two 3) Decorate main palace ... 7) Meet Allah The listed priorities of a wannabe jihadist preparing to enter Paradise - he clearly knew where what was most important.

Quote Tweet

Dominic Casciani

@BBCDomC

· Feb 10

Musa Chowdhury was so obsessed with going to heaven he had a to-do list for when he got there. Meeting his maker was only seventh - after hooking up with his 72 wives and decorating his palace. This is the story of a man who thought he got away with it bbc.co.uk/news/uk-514055

Charles Lister

@Charles_Lister

Feb 10

BREAKING - Another #Turkey convoy has just been shelled by pro-#Assad forces, this time near Atareb. Some reports claim it was a #Russia airstrike.

#Turkey's MoD claims it targeted 115 #SAA positions in northern #Syria today, in retaliation for the killing of 6 #TSK troops in #Taftanaz, #Idlib. I've not seen any evidence to substantiate that - at all.

To say this is distasteful is an understatement. Very disappointing. #Syria

Quote Tweet

The New York Review of Books

@nybooks

· Feb 9

Two films about the Syrian war are among the five nominated in the #Oscars

documentary category. What can we learn from them? j.mp/2GZH9kD

Charles Lister

@Charles_Lister

Feb 10

#pt: But as #Turkey-#Russia talks appear to've stalled or broken down, it's hard not to imagine some form of #Turkey pushback. The IDP flow to the border, #TSK's public deployments & strategic shift, not to mention the loss of 12+ troops in 2 weeks, is too much to go unanswered.

#pt: #Turkey has a sizable disadvantage in what's turning out to be a deadly, kinetic negotiation over the ultimate fate of NW #Syria, BUT: - #Russia has 'pressed pause' before. - #Assad has lost ~210 soldiers in a week (= unsustainable) - For #Erdogan, #Idlib is existential.

For the 1st time, #Turkey's supplied APCs (shows here) to #NLF units rooted in #Idlib. Yes the #NLF "is #SNA," but that's never translated into #Idlib - Idlibi #NLF remain distinct. The last 36hrs have seen a shift, which cannot be so easily reversed.

1:02

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From

#pt: The situation in NW #Syria has taken on much more dangerous dynamic today, with a 2nd deadly #Assad-on-#Turkey incident. #TSK now has more troops in #Syria than #America - & *far* more equipment & heavy weaponry. But will it risk its #Russia ties? Escalate or surrender...

#pt: In the last few days, #Turkey has deployed 1,000+ tanks, armored vehicles, multiple-rocket launcher systems & 100s of paratroopers into #Idlib. The #NLF & #SNA have been supplied with armored personnel carriers, 122mm Grad rockets, anti-tank missiles & artillery pieces.

BREAKING - 6 #Turkey soldiers killed this morning in #Assad regime shelling on a #TSK post in #Taftanaz Airbase, #Idlib. The shelling came amid a brief & unprecedented *joint* #Turkey-opposition counter-offensive - intended as a warning pre-#Turkey-Russia talks in #Ankara today.

#Oscar or no #Oscar, the reality that

@waadalkateab

@Hamza_Alkateab

@watts_edward

revealed to the world in "For Sama" was historic. They did #Syria so proud. I've never seen anything as powerful & as touching on a human level -- go watch it now: pbs.org/wgbh/frontline