The Turkish Defence Ministry stated on Tuesday that 51 units belonging to the Syrian Army, including two tanks, an anti-aircraft installation site and a munitions depot, have been destroyed, while one tank has been seized.
İdlib bölgesinden alınan son bilgilere göre 51 Rejim unsurunun etkisiz hale getirildiği, 2 tank, 1 uçaksavar mevzii ile 1 mühimmat deposunun imha edildiği, 1 tankın da ele geçirildiği öğrenilmiştir.https://t.co/GmXaDNMzIP
— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) February 11, 2020
The statement comes hours after the ministry confirmed that militants in Syria had downed a government helicopter in al-Nayrab, Idlib province.
Commenting on the statement, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that the Syrian government "would pay a heavy price" for its actions.
In his speech, Erdogan referred to a new wave of escalation in northern Syria after Syrian government forces allegedly attacked a Turkish military post in Idlib the day before.
Days after the incident, media reported that Turkey was drawing up forces in the region as a convoy of 150 trucks carrying Turkish special forces troops, military equipment and ammunition was seen at the Turkey-Syria border in the province of Hatay.
