Turkey sends special forces to reinforce observation posts in Syria's Idlib

According to the agency, a convoy of 150 trucks carrying special forces troops, military equipment and ammunition has reached the Turkey-Syria border in the province of Hatay. From there, the convoy will cross into Syria and travel to the Idlib de-escalation zone.

Tensions in the area rose after Syrian government forces shelled a Turkish observation point on Monday, killing seven military personnel and one contractor. In a retaliatory attack, Turkish troops struck over 50 targets and killed 76 Syrian army troops, according to Defense Minister Hulusi Akar.

Moreover, on Wednesday, a military source told Sputnik the Syrian Armed Forces had established full control over the city of Saraqib, one of the key strongholds of militants in the area. The Syrian military then also surrounded three nearby Turkish observation posts.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that he asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to pressure Syrian President Bashar Assad into withdrawing troops from the borders of the de-escalation zone and preventing attacks on Turkish forces in the region.

Idlib is one of four de-escalation zones created in Syria by Russia, Iran and Turkey during talks in May 2017. The province is one of the remaining militant strongholds in the country, as pockets of the region are controlled by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group (formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra, banned in Russia).