Turkish President Erdogan after the escalation against Russia: "I asked Putin to move us out of the way" • Turkish media reported hundreds of dead from regime soldiers

• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan // Photo: Reuters

• The rebels celebrate the conquest of a town in Syria // Photo: AFP

• Turkish gunner bombs Syria army positions in Turkey // Photo: AFP

Syrian Revolutionary Revolution: Syrian rebel forces launched a counter-attack in Idlib province on Saturday, capturing several towns south of the province's capital while the regime's forces retreated.

The rebels succeeded in conquering the villages of Tel Mivtacha, Tel Kantar, Al Khloba and the village of Kafr Awaid by the regime's forces. The rebels also attacked an Assad army force, accompanied by a Russian bombing, on the town of Sarakib.

The rebels' progress comes after a day of relentless attacks by the military and the Turkish air force on the objectives of the Assad regime. During the night, the Turkish air force attacked the Quaris airport near the city of Aleppo and destroyed a "Panzir" air defense system as well as several helicopters and aircraft.

According to official sources in Turkey, the wave of attacks killed 31 tanks, 10 anti-personnel, 28 guns, five armored warehouses and four anti-tank weapons positions. It was also alleged that more than 350 Syrian soldiers were killed in the heavy strikes.

Turkish Air Force Phantom aircraft in Syrian sky // Photo: Reuters

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke this morning from his residence in Ankara, responding to the escalation in relations with Russia after the attack in which more than 30 Turkish soldiers were killed and the Turkish army's response to Idlib. "We have no interest in oil or land in Syria, we are there to invite the Syrian people and we will leave as soon as we no longer need it. There are 3.7 million Syrian refugees in our territory and we cannot deal with any additional refugee flux. We are not interested in Syrian oil or territory, only in the security of our country."

The President also added: "I asked Russian President Putin to move us out of the way in Syria. We want to create a safe space in Syria for more than a million refugees, not seeking adventure there. If we do not fight terrorist organizations in Syria, we will have to fight them later in our country." On the same issue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed that Ankara and Moscow reached an agreement to reduce friction between their forces in Syria

Attack against Hezbollah

Meanwhile, Iranian media outlets close to the Revolutionary Guards revealed tonight that dozens of Hezbollah members were killed and wounded during the bombing of their strongholds in the Idlib region of Syria as part of the Turkish offensive. This is according to the website "Arab 21".

According to Iranian newspaper Hussein Deliran: "Hizbullah stronghold in Idlib was under attack by the Turkish army and ten activists were killed." More than 50 Hezbollah fighters were reportedly injured in the Turkish attack, which completely destroyed Hizbullah headquarters in the area.

Hezbollah reportedly sent a message to the Turkish government saying: "Developments in Idlib and Syria have entered a new stage. The party will force its revenge to kill its people with Turkish attacks."

This is part of the military response to the deaths of 33 Turkish soldiers in the Assad regime attack on the fifth. Yesterday, the Turkish Ministry of Defense claimed that hundreds of Assad soldiers were killed, as well as dozens of tanks, all-round batteries and anti-aircraft systems.

Syrian military convoy in Idlib province // Photo: IP

Dean Shmuel Elms participated in the preparation of the news