Damascus

The latest situation in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib is in Turkey's favor, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Feb. 27, referring to advance of rebels into Saraqeb town near Aleppo.

"The developments in Idlib are now in favor [of Turkey]," he said speaking at a ceremony of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Feb. 26 said that Ankara will "hopefully" find a solution soon to use the last rebel bastion of Idlib's airspace.

Syrian regime forces recaptured the symbolic town of Kafranbel in Idlib province, one of the first cities to rebel against the Damascus regime, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli has once again criticized Russia for its Syria policies and said the Russian position backing the regime against Turkey was "shocking."

Speaking to MHP lawmakers in parliament, the MHP leader accused Putin of "playing a double game."

Russia's attitude is "inexplicable even with strategic accounts," Bahçeli said.

Five civilians died on Feb. 24 in Russian air strikes backing Syrian regime forces as they chip away at the country's last major rebel bastion, a war monitor said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the deadly raids hit the area of Jabal al-Zawiya in the south of Idlib province.

A Damascus passenger plane landed at Aleppo Airport,marking the resumption of flights between Syria's two largest cities for the first time since 2012, the Associated Press reported.

A Syrian opposition group reported on Feb. 14 that they downed a Syrian regime helicopter in a "de-escalation zone" in northwest Syria.

The helicopter was hit directly while flying over the western Aleppo province, in a rural area of Aleppo that falls within the de-escalation zone of the neighboring province of Idlib.

Turkey will use force against rebel groups violating a ceasefire in Syria's northwest Idlib region, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Thursday, in an apparent response to Russian criticism.

Scores of Syrian regime elements were "neutralized" on Feb. 12 in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, the Turkish Defense Ministry has said.

"According to information conveyed by several sources in Idlib region, it has been learned that 55 regime elements were neutralized today," said the statement.

The U.S. special envoy for Syria visited Turkey on Feb. 11 to re-evaluate the recent developments in the region.

Speaking to reporters at Ankara's Esenboğa International Airport, James Jeffrey said Turkey, as a NATO ally, encountered a great threat in Idlib, northwestern Syria, coming from the Assad regime and Russia.