Moscow and Ankara are currently arguing over the “range” of the military operation that Syrian regime forces expect to launch against the province of Idlib in the northwest of the country, sources with knowledge of the matter told Asharq Al-Awsat on Thursday. The disagreement comes hours before Russia, Turkey and Iran hold a summit in Tehran concerning the situation in Idlib and while the UN Security Council holds a session to discuss the latest developments in the province and the overall Syria crisis. Turkey is trying to convince Iran and Russia that to a final settlement process in the country needs to be launched in order to solve the Idlib crisis, the sources explained. And while Moscow and Tehran still insist on the necessity to clear terrorists from the Syrian province, Russian sources said that Ankara “won’t allow a wide-range military operation that threatens its powers in the area.” Russian sources close to the Foreign Ministry said the Russian, Iranian and Turkish presidents seek to find on Friday a mid-solution to the situation in Idlib by agreeing to launch a limited military operation capable to prevent Juhbat al-Nusra from launching fierce attacks on nearby areas or Russian facilities, including the Hmeimim base. The three presidents would try to agree on preventing a wide-range military operation in the area, and on keeping regime forces from entering the Idlib city. Meanwhile, as concerns grew about a near regime offensive on the Idlib province, civilians continued to leave to the Turkish border, amid reports saying that Russia plans to expand the scope of its airstrikes to involve the north of Hama. Separately, the Syrian Democratic Council began Thursday to create a new administration to unite regions it controls in the northeast of Syria, a step aimed to expand its powers in the area. The new administration will act as a coordination body linking the self-administrations of the Kurdish majority areas and the civil administrations in Arab majority areas that have their own civil councils. The Council’s meeting Thursday was held in the presence of Syrian Democratic Forces officials and others from Manbij, Raqqa, the province of Deir Ezzor and other Kurdish areas in the north.