Ankara to respond to any attack on posts in Syria: Defense Ministry

Amid heightened tensions between Ankara and Damascus, Turkey's Defense Ministry has vowed to respond to any attack against Turkish observation posts in Syria's northwestern Idlib region.

During a briefing at the ministry, military sources told state-run Anadolu Agency that Turkey will respond to any attack against its observation posts in the most "intense way as possible."

"Our priority is to halt the attacks and ensure the cease-fire. Our troops are taking necessary precautions to cease the clashes in the region and to provide cease-fire," the sources said, adding that there are no current problems with Turkish troops in the area.

"Our troops are ready to respond to any attack within the context of self-defense," the sources added. They said that every observation post of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) has the ability and capacity to protect itself.

When asked about how many of the Turkish observation posts are currently in territories controlled by the Syrian regime, the source said that the seventh, eighth and ninth posts are in regions under the regime's control.

Turkey has 12 military observation posts around the region, set up under a 2017 agreement with Russia and Iran. Several of them have since been surrounded by advancing regime forces.

The Syrian regime's forces on Dec. 23, 2019, surrounded one of 12 Turkish observation posts in the region. After the regime's capture of Al-Surman town, in the southeast of Idlib, the eighth observation post of the TSK in the village was surrounded.

Another observation post in the town of Morek was also surrounded in August, leaving two TSK posts within the regime's territory.

With the regime's recent capture of Maarat al-Numan town, a total of three Turkish...