February 12, 2020

Turkey will strike Syrian government forces "anywhere" if one more Turkish soldier is hurt and could use airpower if need be, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

Addressing the country's parliament in Ankara on Wednesday, Erdogan said Turkey is determined to push Syrian government forces beyond Turkish observation posts in the northwestern Idlib region by the end of February.

"We will do this by any means necessary, by air or ground," he said.

Turkey has set up 12 observation posts in the last rebel-held stronghold in Syria as part of a 2018 deal with Russia, which backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Read more:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/02/erdogan-turkey-target-syrian-gov-forces-200212083817770.html