MOSCOW, February 6. /TASS/. Turkish forces have shelled Syrian government positions near Saraqib in the Idlib province, Al Jazeera TV channel informed on Thursday.

According to the channel, Turkish forces located near Saraqib shelled Syrian army units in the area of Neyrab in the city’s northern outskirts.

Turkey’s attack came at the same time as the counterattack of Syrian armed groups attempting to return to their previous positions lost during the Syrian government’s advance in the area.

On February 5, Syrian government forces entered the town of Saraqib, an outpost of the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group (banned in Russia) in the Idlib province.

Saraqib is a town of strategic importance that sits at the junction of two main roads connecting Latakia and Damascus with Aleppo. The Syrian army’s control over the town could result in the defeat of the armed groups operating in the country’s north.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday during a press conference in Baku that Ankara would provide a tough response to ongoing attacks by Damascus.

Idlib is the only Syrian region that has been controlled by illegal armed groups since 2012. A northern de-escalation zone was set up in Idlib in 2017 to give shelter to militants who refused to surrender arms in Eastern Ghouta and Syria’s southern regions. The Turkish army has 12 observation outposts in the province.