Turkey warns it is attacking "all known targets of Syrian regime"February 28, 2020 - 10:40 AMT 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. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |