Says 114 regime targets were heavily struck and destroyed
The state-run Anadolu Agency heavily criticised the Syrian government’s strongest ally, Russia, for its role in the latest offensive on the rebel-held enclave as the media war against Moscow intensified.
Other western and pro NATO medias are also known for backlash reporting against Russian as the only terrible mortal enemy that must be crossed.
Turkish defense ministry further said the Turkish troops retaliated for the attack with full force and 114 regime targets were heavily struck and destroyed, the ministry said in a series of tweets.
Turkish defense ministry further said the Turkish troops retaliated for the attack with full force and 114 regime targets were heavily struck and destroyed, the ministry said in a series of tweets.
“We wish God's mercy to our fallen martyrs, our grieving families, our noble nation supporting the TAF [Turkish Armed Forces], and a rapid recovery for our wounded personnel,” the ministry wrote.
T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı
✔@tcsavunma
Ateşkesi sağlamak üzere İdlib bölgesinde bulunan unsurlarımıza düzenlenen hava saldırısı sonucu 2 kahraman silah arkadaşımız şehit olmuş, 2 kahraman silah arkadaşımız da yaralanmıştır. Bölgedeki Rejim hedefleri derhal ateş altına alınmış; alınmaya devam edilmektedir.According to various sources in the region, three tanks were seized and an air defense missile system and one Zu-23 anti-aircraft gun as well as other vehicles were destroyed, the ministry added.
Syria has been mired in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests.
Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million others displaced, according to UN figures.
Idlib, near Turkey’s southern border, falls within a de-escalation zone laid out in a deal between Turkey and Russia in late 2018.
According to Turkey's instance, the Syrian regime and its allies, however, have consistently broken the terms of the ceasefire, launching frequent attacks inside the territory, where acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.
The de-escalation zone is currently home to around 4 million civilians, including hundreds of thousands displaced in recent years by regime forces throughout the war-torn country.
Some 1 million Idlib refugees have moved towards the Turkish border in recent months, fleeing attacks by the Assad regime and its allies, which caused a desperate humanitarian situation.
Turkey has called for an immediate halt to the attacks on Idlib and for the ceasefire to be followed, warning that if the attacks do not stop, Turkey will act.
On Monday, according to Turkish state media and a war monitor reports, Turkey-backed terrorist recaptured a town in northwestern Syria after clashes with government-allied fighters.
Turkey armed rebels seized the town of Nairab, considered a gateway to the strategic town of Saraqeb, which lies close to a junction between two major highways.
According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the clashes killed dozens of pro-Assad fighters and Syrian troops as well as opposition fighters on Monday.
"With the help of our Turkish friends, we have regained control of the strategic town of Nairab, the gateway of Saraqeb, after expelling the terrorist Russian militias," Yusef Hamoud, spokesman for the Turkey-backed National Army, told Reuters news agency.
Earlier on Monday, the Observatory reported that Russian air attacks killed five civilians in the Jabal al-Zawiya area in the south of Saraqeb.
Russia's defence ministry denied the Observatory report.
Syrian state news agency SANA said "units of the Syrian army continued to progress in the south of Idlib" province after seizing 10 towns and villages south of the M4 highway.
The Russian Backed Syrian Arab Army's aim was to wrest back control of stretches of the M4, which links the cities of Aleppo and Latakia which may require operations against the towns of Ariha and Jisr al-Shughour, both along the M4.
Analysts expect a tough battle for Jisr al-Shughour, held by the Turkistan Islamic Party whose fighters mainly hail from China's Uighur Muslim minority.
✔@tcsavunma
Ateşkesi sağlamak üzere İdlib bölgesinde bulunan unsurlarımıza düzenlenen hava saldırısı sonucu 2 kahraman silah arkadaşımız şehit olmuş, 2 kahraman silah arkadaşımız da yaralanmıştır. Bölgedeki Rejim hedefleri derhal ateş altına alınmış; alınmaya devam edilmektedir.According to various sources in the region, three tanks were seized and an air defense missile system and one Zu-23 anti-aircraft gun as well as other vehicles were destroyed, the ministry added.
Syria has been mired in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests.
Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million others displaced, according to UN figures.
Idlib, near Turkey’s southern border, falls within a de-escalation zone laid out in a deal between Turkey and Russia in late 2018.
According to Turkey's instance, the Syrian regime and its allies, however, have consistently broken the terms of the ceasefire, launching frequent attacks inside the territory, where acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.
The de-escalation zone is currently home to around 4 million civilians, including hundreds of thousands displaced in recent years by regime forces throughout the war-torn country.
Some 1 million Idlib refugees have moved towards the Turkish border in recent months, fleeing attacks by the Assad regime and its allies, which caused a desperate humanitarian situation.
Turkey has called for an immediate halt to the attacks on Idlib and for the ceasefire to be followed, warning that if the attacks do not stop, Turkey will act.
Moscow and Damascus have alleged that Turkey failed to fulfilled his part of the deal by separating the terrorist and militia rebels from the civilian who are still perpetrating more terrorist acts against the Syrians in the Idlib province of Aleppo.
Russian has severally debunked as false that Turkey's claims that Syrian are fleeing en-mass toward the Turkish border.
Russian Backed Damascus troops are determined to liberate all parts of the country from the foreign backed rebels and restore the Syrian statehood.
Turkey armed rebels seized the town of Nairab, considered a gateway to the strategic town of Saraqeb, which lies close to a junction between two major highways.
"With the help of our Turkish friends, we have regained control of the strategic town of Nairab, the gateway of Saraqeb, after expelling the terrorist Russian militias," Yusef Hamoud, spokesman for the Turkey-backed National Army, told Reuters news agency.
Earlier on Monday, the Observatory reported that Russian air attacks killed five civilians in the Jabal al-Zawiya area in the south of Saraqeb.
Russia's defence ministry denied the Observatory report.
Syrian state news agency SANA said "units of the Syrian army continued to progress in the south of Idlib" province after seizing 10 towns and villages south of the M4 highway.
Analysts expect a tough battle for Jisr al-Shughour, held by the Turkistan Islamic Party whose fighters mainly hail from China's Uighur Muslim minority.
They are allied to Hay'et Tahrir al-Sham, a group that dominates the Idlib region. Around April of year 2019, Syrian Arab Army(SAA) and allied forces launched a military offensive to capture rebel-held areas in western Aleppo and Idlib provinces. A number of ceasefires failed to hold in the summer and Damascus relaunched its offensive in December.
According to the UN reports, since December, fighting in northwestern Syria has forced about 900,000 people to flee their homes and shelter near the Turkish border.
The United Nations said on Monday that the latest fighting was coming "dangerously close" to the displaced people's encampments, risking an imminent "bloodbath".
Mark Cutts, a UN humanitarian coordinator, told reporters in Geneva that the world body was trying to double aid deliveries across a border crossing with Turkey, from 50 to 100 trucks a day.
Turkey has already taken in 3.6 million Syrian refugees and has said it is unwilling to open its borders to a new influx from Idlib.
Fearing a fresh refugee crisis, Turkey has poured thousands of troops into Idlib in the last few weeks and President Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to use military force to drive back Syrian forces unless they pull back by the end of the month.
"[Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan is aware of the strong resentment in Turkey against Syrian refugees," Haid Haid, a researcher at Chatham House, told AFP news agency.
"That's why it has been framing its military activities in Idlib as a means to prevent more refugees from crossing," he said.
"The [political] cost will likely be high for him if he loses many soldiers in Syria and still fails to stop refugees from crossing to Turkey. But he might be able to gain from the crisis if the outcome of his intervention is positive."
This month, as many as 18 Turkish military personnel have been killed by Syrian forces in northwestern Syria and several Turkish military observation posts - which Ankara thought were safe under deals with Russia, a key Damascus ally - ended up being surrounded in areas retaken by government forces.
According to the UN reports, since December, fighting in northwestern Syria has forced about 900,000 people to flee their homes and shelter near the Turkish border.
The United Nations said on Monday that the latest fighting was coming "dangerously close" to the displaced people's encampments, risking an imminent "bloodbath".
Mark Cutts, a UN humanitarian coordinator, told reporters in Geneva that the world body was trying to double aid deliveries across a border crossing with Turkey, from 50 to 100 trucks a day.
Turkey has already taken in 3.6 million Syrian refugees and has said it is unwilling to open its borders to a new influx from Idlib.
Fearing a fresh refugee crisis, Turkey has poured thousands of troops into Idlib in the last few weeks and President Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to use military force to drive back Syrian forces unless they pull back by the end of the month.
"[Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan is aware of the strong resentment in Turkey against Syrian refugees," Haid Haid, a researcher at Chatham House, told AFP news agency.
"That's why it has been framing its military activities in Idlib as a means to prevent more refugees from crossing," he said.
"The [political] cost will likely be high for him if he loses many soldiers in Syria and still fails to stop refugees from crossing to Turkey. But he might be able to gain from the crisis if the outcome of his intervention is positive."
This month, as many as 18 Turkish military personnel have been killed by Syrian forces in northwestern Syria and several Turkish military observation posts - which Ankara thought were safe under deals with Russia, a key Damascus ally - ended up being surrounded in areas retaken by government forces.
Russian leader is yet to agreed on the Russian Turkish summit proposed by Erdogan in Ankara.
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