The civil war that has wrecked Syria from within also made its borders extremely vulnerable. The latest Turkish offensive “Peace Spring” is the third major Turkish military operation inside the country since 2016. As soon as the United States (US) decided to withdraw the forces from the northeast of Syria, Turkish troops entered Syria to create a “safe zone” there. But the creation of a safe zone is just an excuse. The actual motive of Turkey is nothing but to eliminate People’s Protection Units, known by its Kurdish acronym YPG. Ankara sees YPG as the Syrian branch of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). However, the recent development tells us that the US and Turkey have agreed to a ceasefire in northeast Syria.

The ceasefire will last for five days, and in the meanwhile, the Kurdish-led forces will withdraw from the so-called “safe zone” that Ankara wants to create for repatriation of Syrian refugees. But will the withdrawal of the YPG personnel from the safe zone prove instrumental in making an independent Kurdistan a distant dream? This should be the question that should occupy the Turkish establishment. The Turkish incursion in Syria instead of achieving its goals of eliminating the Kurds’ movement can ignite it further.

But there are also news reports coming from Syria blaming Turkish forces for violation of the ceasefire. The abuse of ceasefire will not help Turkey. Instead, the desecration of the truce will reflect poorly on Ankara. People living in the safe zone will feel further marginalisation. Thus, many fear that the offensive may result in mass displacement of people and the revival of the Daesh/Islamic State (IS). However, the announcement of the Kurdish led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that they will abide by the ceasefire is welcome. All the parties to the dispute need to honour the truce.

While the parties to the dispute are welcoming the deal, even if superficially, Israel does not feel at ease. The US’s policy changes on Syria has made Israel uneasy. Israel fears that any further vacuum in Syria will allow Iran to fill it. If the Israeli fears grow out of proportion, then the country can also intervene in Syria. And obviously, Israel will use Turkish intervention as a justification for its military action in Syria. The situation in Syria demands from all the stakeholders to deal with the already fragile situation in a way that is beneficial for the region and its people. Any attempt by any country to take advantage of the ceasefire to further its narrow national interests can undermine the security of the entire area.