Turkey warns it is attacking "all known targets of Syrian regime"

PanARMENIAN.Net - In response to a Syrian air raid that left 33 Turkish soldiers killed in Idlib province, Ankara warned it is attacking "all known targets of the Syrian regime", Al Jazeera reports.

The deaths are the largest number of fatalities suffered by Turkey in a single day since it began sending thousands of troops into Idlib in recent weeks, amid a Russia-backed Syrian government offensive to seize the war-torn country's last opposition-held stronghold, which is home to more than three million people.

The ferocious bombing campaign and ground assault have displaced nearly one million people since December, more than half of whom are children.

In response, Turkey warned it is attacking "all known targets of the Syrian regime".

In a statement, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed "grave concern" of an escalation of violence and called for an immediate ceasefire.

He said that "the risk of even greater escalation grows by the hour" without urgent action.

The US State Department also weighed in, saying it is "very concerned" about the reported attack, adding "we are standing by our NATO ally Turkey."

Rahmi Dogan, the governor of Turkey's southeastern province of Hatay, earlier announced in televised remarks that 22 soldiers were killed.

Following the attack, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a two-hour emergency security meeting in Ankara that was attended by ministers and military officials.