Eight people, including five Turkish soldiers and three civilians, were killed in shelling by the Syrian army shellfire in Idlib province.
Retaliatory fire ‘neutralized’ 76 Syrian troops after the shelling, according to Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar. Syrian media said there were no deaths
Several people have rushed a Syrian army offensive in Syria’s opposition-held Idlib.
Several other people went towards the border with Turkey.
Turkey’s defense ministry informed that soldiers assassinated by Syrian Shellfire had been taken to Idlib to avoid conflicts between Russian-backed government forces and opposition. Local officials knew their position.
Akar said that Turkish forces had hit 54 targets in retaliation.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, “We are determined to maintain the operations that we carry out to ensure the security of our country, our nation and of our brothers and sisters in Idlib,”
“Those who try to test Turkey’s determination through such despicable attacks are severely mistaken.”
According to international news sources, Turkey and Russia agreed on the de-escalation deal for Idlib in 2017. But the agreement is dishonored.
Tayyip Erdogan also threatened Russia not to involve in Ankara’s dealings with Damascus over the shelling. He also told Moscow “not to stand in our way”.
He had also warned on Friday to use military force if circumstances in Idlib were “not returned to normal quickly”.
However, the Syrian government did not give an immediate response. But a state news agency said that “no injuries or damage were reported” due to attacks by Turkey.
