Turkey hit targets in northern Syria, responding to shelling by Syrian government forces that killed at least eight Turkish soldiers and civilian contractors, Turkey’s president said Monday. A Syrian war monitor said 13 Syrian troops were also killed.
Syrian activists said airstrikes in the country’s northern, rebel-held region also killed at least nine civilians Monday.
The exchange of fire inside Syria between Ankara and Damascus came hours after a large Turkish military convoy entered the northwestern province of Idlib, the last rebel stronghold in Syria. The fighting is likely to further increase tensions between the two neighboring countries, as such direct clashes have been rare. It could also cause friction between Russia and Turkey, which have sought to coordinate their actions in Syria.