ANKARA, December 23. /TASS/. Ankara won’t be able to handle another wave of Syrian refugees alone, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, while delivering a speech in Istanbul.

"Over 80,000 of our brothers are fleeing Idlib towards our border. In this situation, Turkey won’t be able to handle another refugee wave," Erdogan pointed out.

Overnight into Friday, Syrian troops thwarted two attacks by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (also known as Jabhat al-Nusra, outlawed in Russia), Ansar al-Tawhid and Hurras ad-Din terrorist groups in the Idlib province. As many as 17 Syrian soldiers were killed and another 42 suffered wounds, while terrorists lost up to 200 men.

Al Jazeera reported on Saturday, citing United Nations observers, that more than 18,000 people had left the Idlib province in light of increasing attacks. According to the TV channel, civilians are heading towards the Turkish border.