Erdogan and Turkish army failed to attack Western Erdogan • Erdogan and Putin talk to speed up negotiations for another ceasefire in Idlib province • Meanwhile, Syrians are provoking Turks: released video showing Turkish bombing damage • Commentary

• Turkish President Erdogan // Photo: IP

• Turkish troops during Nairb attack // Photo: AFP

What is a tank made and upgraded in Israel, burnt in a field in northwestern Syria? The surprising answer has to do with the recent severe confrontation between Syrian regime forces, Russian-aided, and the Turkish army, the first of its kind in the bloody civil war history of the country.

The image of the tank, the "Sabra" M60 model from the Israeli military industry, was circulated online by the regime's supporters today, testimony to the downfall suffered by the rebels and their aid from the Turkish army in an attempt to conquer the key town of Nairb, a few miles from the Idlib capital, yesterday.

The rebels' counter attack and the Turkish army were apparently an attempt to test their rival's combat ability in the northern province of Syria, the last remaining by the rebels, to examine what the opposition to a future Turkish military operation in the region would look like and carry out a snatch to send a clear message to Damascus and Moscow .

This attempt failed. Syrian official media today released a video showing the exact air strikes carried out by Syrian Air Force aircraft, and apparently also Russian, by rebel and Turkish forces trying to advance toward the town. Without Turkish aerial cladding, the results were bleak. Apart from an unknown number of Turkish casualties, including two killed, several dozen rebels were killed in the attack. The regime celebrated the images of the destroyed vehicles, including the Israeli-made tank sold to the Turks in 2007.

A Turkish tank of Sabra that was hit in a battle near Nairb

Today, while sporadic exchanges of fire across the county are still ongoing, Erdogan, who earlier this week said he will embark on an extensive military operation in Idlib, sounds more cautious. At noon, the Turkish president said he would decide the fate of the operation after a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

After the two spoke, Erdogan and Putin agreed to accelerate diplomatic efforts to find an agreed solution to the Idlib crisis, but while Putin and Erdogan were talking, regime planes continued to bomb the rebel positions in the province. Turkey has shipped hundreds of armored vehicles and tanks this week to Syria and, for the first time, heavy artillery operated by the Turkish army.

Will continue to pay the price, an impromptu refugee camp near the Turkish border // Photo: Reuters

While Erdogan revealed that military action against the Syrian regime and his ally Russia would not be a "picnic" and would require much more than a point of rebellion, who added to pay the price are almost a million refugees who fled the Assad winter offensive and found shelter in areas close to the Turkish border, which have severe weather conditions.