Humanitarian aid entering via conflict lines stirs controversy among Syrian opposition
The Syrian opposition fears the cross-border humanitarian aid mechanism will be replaced by cross-line aid deliveries amid accusations leveled at Hayat Tahrir al-Sham of trying to normalize ties with the Syrian regime and its allies.
ALEPPO — The entry of humanitarian aid into Idlib via the Miznaz-Maarat al-Naasan crossing, which marks the frontier between territories held by the Syrian regime and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) areas in the northwest of Syria, sparked widespread controversy among the opposition’s popular quarters. The move triggered fear of the cross-border humanitarian aid mechanism being replaced by cross-line aid deliveries. The opposition even accused HTS of betrayal and complicity with the regime and its allies for harming the revolution.
This step raised many questions about the contemplated gains the regime and HTS would achieve. On Aug. 31, a 12-truck aid convoy entered Idlib through the Miznaz-Maarat al-Naasan crossing in the eastern Idlib countryside.
A day earlier, the first batch of aid, loaded on three trucks, entered via the same crossing. The trucks were unloaded under the supervision of HTS and its Salvation Government in Idlib.
In an Aug. 31 statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, “Within the framework of the World Food Program (WFP), the first shipment of humanitarian aid, consisting of 9,600 food baskets, was transferred from Aleppo to Sarmada in Idlib across the conflict lines.”
