What messages lie behind Assad’s visit to southern Idlib?

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s recent visit to the front line in southern Idlib province raised controversy and questions among opposition forces about Assad's goals and what messages he might have been sending — and to whom.
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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visits Syrian army troops in war-torn Idlib province, Syria, Oct. 22, 2019. - Syrian Arab News Agency/via REUTERS
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Khaled al-Khateb
@khaleedalkhteb
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ALEPPO, Syria — Syrian and Russian aircraft launched dozens of air raids this week on several opposition-held towns and villages in southwest Idlib province, the Kurd and Turkmen mountains and Kabanah in northern Latakia.

A Nov. 4 raid killed at least three civilians in Idlib's Jisr al-Shughur, and since then there have been reports that the forces bombed a hospital in Shinan.

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