Pro-Syrian government air strikes hit positions near a Turkish military convoy that had crossed into north Syria’s Idlib province earlier Monday, killing one rebel, an activist group said.
Citing a foreign ministry source, Syrian state media reported that Turkish vehicles loaded with munitions were deployed on Monday to support rebels fighting a government offensive on the key Idlib town of Khan Sheikhun, which lies on a strategic highway.
The source condemned the “act of aggression” by Turkey, and was cited as saying that the move would not impact “the determination of the Syrian Arab Army to keep hunting the remnants of terrorists”.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights activist group said the convoy was stationary on the Damascus-Aleppo international highway when the area was bombed.
The Observatory said one fighter from the Turkey-backed Failaq al-Sham group was killed and several others were wounded.
Government forces have advanced on the southern edges of Idlib province over the past week and entered Khan Sheikhun on Sunday for the first time since they lost control of it in 2014.
More than two dozen civilians have been killed during the weekend’s escalation of the government offensive against militants and allied rebels in the last major opposition stronghold in Syria.