Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and YouTube sites have been shut down following rumors going through the country after at least 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in Idlib • US ambassador to NATO: "Everything is on the table"

Social networks across Turkey were blocked during the night from Thursday to Friday, after reports of dozens of Turkish soldiers being killed in an air raid in Idlib province in Syria, reports of numerous casualties among Turkish military soldiers, fueled rumors on social networks that Turkey had gone to war. Russian news network RT, which is close to Moscow's government, has reported that Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and YouTube sites - have been disabled, and that Turkish citizens are reportedly blocking the networks this morning.

Twitter, was the first social network blocked for Turkish citizens around 11:30 pm local time Thursday. A Twitter block was made shortly after the early reports came that at least 9 Turkish soldiers were killed in the Syrian offensive, a number that has been increasing since the reports began.

It's 8am in #Turkey, where citizens are waking to find Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube blocked and WhatsApp limited.



Turkey is a global leader in Twitter usage, and Facebook had just announced plans to open offices in eight Turkish provinces.



https://t.co/bowVKOQixH pic.twitter.com/4jcrm4jAx9

- NetBlocks.org (@netblocks) February 28, 2020

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Meanwhile, at least 33 Turkish military fighters were killed during the night between Thursday and Friday, during Russian-backed Russian-backed airstrikes in Idlib province in Syria.

Syrian rebels backed by Turkish passengers in a tank in Idlib province // Photo: AFP

Among the rumors circulating on social networks following reports of fatalities among the Turkish army in Idlib, it has been reported that Turkey will open its borders in Europe to allow refugees to flood the continent, and it has also been announced that the Ankara parliament is expected to declare war on Syria on Friday morning.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan convened the Turkish Cabinet in the capital Ankara tonight to discuss an emergency on the Turkish-Syrian border. At the same time, the Turkish news agency Andulo reported that Turkish officials, including Turkish Foreign Minister Melut Cebusholo, spoke with NATO Secretary General Yanes Stoltzberg and National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien, who expressed support for Turkey.

Syrian military convoy in Idlib province // Photo: IP

Turkish news website Daily Sabah reported this morning that US ambassador to NATO, Kay Bailey Hutchison, said this morning that all options were on the table in relation to US support for Turkey, which, as mentioned, killed at least 33 soldiers in clashes with the regime's army Assad in Idlib.

"Certainly everything is on the table. This is a significant new development and our alliance is with Turkey, not Russia," Hutchison said, emphasizing that "Turkey is our ally. We are on the same side in many respects, but especially in Syria we are worried about all of Assad's actions, which is being attacked by Idlib and the people of Idlib once again. "