Syria - Page 3

Dozens of Turkish troops died in a Syrian airstrike as no one knew they were there, Putin told Erdogan, stressing the crisis in the Syrian province is so dire that a personal conversation between the two leaders is needed.

As tensions in Idlib province reach the boiling point, Turkey has asked Russia to let it fight the Syrian government face-to-face, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed.

Alarming developments in Syria’s Idlib saw dozens of Turkish soldiers killed in a Syrian airstrike and Ankara responding with own fire and fury. But anyone following the conflict would know the escalation didn’t start overnight.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Syria on Tuesday and met with officials including President Bashar Assad, Syrian state media and a Kremlin spokesman reported.

The IS terror group has named its new leader after Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed by US forces, along with his “number one replacement.”

American mechanized forces have begun deploying at Syrian oil fields, ostensibly to stop the remnants of Islamic State from seizing them, and will respond with “overwhelming force” to protect them.

On Thursday, Trump defended his decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria on Twitter.

"They're not angels," Trump said Wednesday. "Go back and take a look."

Russia has said it will not allow clashes between Turkish and Syrian forces, as Turkey's military offensive in northern Syria continues.

“I’m not prepared to put a timeline on it,” Defense Secretary Mark Esper said.

The territorial integrity of Syria must be fully restored and all foreign forces should withdraw, including Russia if Damascus decides it doesn’t need Moscow’s help anymore, according to President Vladimir Putin.

Turkish warplanes have bombed parts of north-eastern Syria at the start of an offensive which could lead to conflict with Kurdish-led allies of the US.

"I know in fact that I was a citizen. When I tried filing for a passport it was very easy. It came in 10 days," the Alabama woman told NBC News.

Saudi king orders public prosecutor to open internal investigation into case

The S-300 air defense system and dozens of additional hardware pieces have been delivered to the Syrian military to boost security of Russian personnel there, Russian Defense Minister, Sergey Shoigu, told President Vladimir Putin.

President Vladimir Putin discussed the decision by phone on Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Kremlin said.

Within two weeks Russia will deliver to Damascus an S-300 air defense system, previously suspended on a request by Israel. It comes as part of response to the downing of a Russian Il-20 plane amid an Israeli air raid on Syria.

Russia and Turkey have agreed to create a demilitarised buffer zone in Syria's Idlib province to separate government forces from rebel fighters based there.

US President Donald Trump has warned Syrian leader Bashar Assad not to attack Idlib province, one of the last terrorist hideouts in the country, also advising Iran and Russia against taking part in the “potential human tragedy.”

Israel has evacuated some 800 members of the controversial Western-backed White Helmets from Syria to Jordan to be resettled later in the UK, Canada, and Germany, according to statements from Tel Aviv and Amman.