Armenian News-NEWS.am presents below an abridged version of analyst Jean-Pierre Perrin’s article, which was published in Libération daily of France.

“The Syrian rebels reached the Mediterranean Sea for the first time. The attack enabled them to seize several towns and villages, including Kessab village that borders Turkey.

“Kessab is one of the few places where Armenians, who survived the Armenian genocide organized by the Turkish authorities, live. 

“Judging from everything, the Jabhat al-Nusra militants in Turkey carried out this operation, and this means with [official] Ankara’s participation.

“The Syrian authorities have confirmed that the rebels had come from Turkey, together with their ally jihadists, to attack on their region.

“[In addition,] a Turkish fighter jet hit a Syrian plane.” 

In the early morning on March 21, armed militants from the Jabhat al-Nusra Islamic terrorist group infiltrated into northern Syria’s Latakia Governorate, which is predominantly inhabited by Armenians and Alawites, from four directions. Two large groups of terrorists had launched the attack from Turkey. About 600 Kessab-Armenian families are currently sheltered in Latakia city. On March 23, Turkish fighter planes downed a Syrian military aircraft that was conducting a mission against the Islamic terrorists in Kessab. On Monday, a group of Armenia parliament members headed to Syria to assess the situation in the country.