WASHINGTON, February 28. /TASS/. The United States is very concerned about the escalation in Syria's Idlib, a spokesperson for the US Department of State told TASS on Thursday.
"We are aware of the reports out of Idlib and are very concerned about a reported attack on Turkish soldiers that resulted in casualties," the spokesperson said.
"We are in contact with Turkish authorities to confirm these developments and to have more clarity on the current situation on the ground," the spokesperson added.
"We stand by our NATO ally Turkey and continue to call for an immediate end to this despicable offensive by the Assad regime, Russia, and Iranian-backed forces. As the President and the Secretary have said, we are looking at options on how we can best support Turkey in this crisis," the spokesperson noted.
The situation in Idlib has escalated at the start of February after Russian and Turkish militaries made another attempt to impose a ceasefire regime, but terrorists only stepped up their attacks in response. Last week Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Ankara is ready to use its full combat power in case an operation in Idlib is needed. Erdogan said that the start of a military campaign in Idlib is only a matter of time and that all preparations have been made.
Idlib is the only region of Syria that is still mostly controlled by illegal armed groups. In 2017, a northern de-escalation zone was set up there, and militants who refused to lay down arms in Eastern Ghouta near Damascus and in southern parts of Syria moved there.