After the death of 36 turkish soldiers in syria, turkey launched massive retaliatory attacks in the neighboring country. According to its own statements, turkey shot down two syrian fighter jets that had attacked turkish jets during the "operation spring shield".
Turkey also destroyed a drone, eight helicopters and more than 100 tanks belonging to the government of president basar al-assad, turkish defense minister hulusi akar said on sunday. This also increased the danger of a direct confrontation between turkey and assad’s ally russia.
EU eavesdropping envoy josep borrell on sunday announced a meeting of EU eavesdropping ministers this week to discuss the ongoing fighting in the syrian province of idlib. The ongoing fighting in and around idlib is a serious threat to international peace and security. They also cause infinite suffering among the population. Borrell called on parties involved to return to political process. According to the words of borrell, the EU also tracks migration at its borders.
According to ankara, the two syrian fighter jets are russian-made SU-24 aircraft. The syrian observatory for human rights and the syrian state agency sana also reported the downing of two syrian fighter jets in the province of idlib. Meanwhile, the defense ministry in moscow denied reports that the russian air force’s sukhoi SU-24 fighter jet had been shot down in idlib. It was "fake" news.
The government in damascus closed the airspace in the northwest of the country in the wake of the turkish attacks. Aircraft and drones were no longer allowed to fly there and especially over idlib, the syrian army told the agency sana. "Any aircraft that violates our airspace will be classified as hostile and shot down."
There was uncertainty on sunday about the exact number of fatalities from the attacks. Turkey’s defense minister akar said more than 2,000 syrian soldiers had been "fired upon". The syrian observatory for human rights, on the other hand, said that a total of about 70 soldiers of the syrian government and its affiliated militias had been killed.
A military confrontation between turkey and russia was within reach. A meeting between turkish president recep tayyip erdogan and kremlin leader vladimir putin is planned for next week. The two countries’ ministers spoke on the phone in preparation for the meeting. The goal is to create the atmosphere for a "results-oriented dialogue" between the two leaders to resolve the conflict, the russian auben ministry said.
Turkish defense minister akar stressed that turkey had no interest in a conflict with russia. Rather, she said, she wanted to end the syrian government’s "massacre" and prevent a new wave of migration. He again appealed to russia to work for an end to the attacks on damascus.
Erdogan had threatened the syrian government with military action by the end of february if its troops in the province of idlib did not withdraw. On saturday, he then announced the new attacks in istanbul. In the process, facilities for the construction of chemical weapons as well as air defense systems and runways were destroyed, erdogan said. More than 300 military vehicles were destroyed, including more than 90 tanks. The syrian government immediately denied the claims and accused erdogan of "misleading" statements and exaggeration.
Turkey had previously intervened militarily three times in northern syria. In october, turkey launched an internationally controversial military offensive east of the euphrates river against the kurdish militia YPG, which turkey considers a terrorist organization. Russia, as al-assad’s protecting power, and turkey subsequently agreed to jointly control northern syrian border areas with turkey. The YPG should also withdraw from the border area.
In 2016, turkey had driven the terrorist militia islamic state (IS) from the border with the "euphrates shield" offensive in the vicinity of the syrian town of jarabulus, but also fought the kurdish militia YPG. In early 2018, the turkish army had seized the kurdish-held syrian border region of afrin with rebels it supported in an offensive against the YPG.
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