Tehran 3 February _Turkey says it launched airstrikes against Syrian troops advancing in the last terrorist bastion in Idlib, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claiming the raids were in response to attacks on Turkish forces.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club(YJC)_Erdogan said Monday Turkey's F-16 warplanes were involved in the attack against 40 points in Idlib, claiming that 30-35 Syrians were "neutralized" in the aggression.
The alleged attack came after Turkey beefed up its presence in the region and warned of a military offensive if the ongoing operation by Syrian government forces against foreign-backed Takfiri militants continues.
Turkey’s Defense Ministry said four Turkish soldiers were killed and nine others injured in intense shelling by Syrian government forces in Idlib earlier Monday.
Erdogan said, "We have responded in kind to these attacks and will continue to do so, whether it is with our artillery or mortars."
"We are determined to continue our operations for the security of our country, people and our brothers in Idlib," he told reporters in Istanbul.
The Turkish president said Ankara had urged Moscow which supports the Syrian army in the offensive "to stand aside" in the escalating conflict.
Russia's Defense Ministry said the Turkish military came under fire from Syrian government forces because Moscow had not been warned about Turkey's operations in Idlib.
Turkish air force planes, the ministry said, did not violate Syria's border and no attacks on Syrian troops were recorded. Syria's state news agency SANA, meanwhile, did not report any Turkish airstrike.
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