MOSCOW, March 4. /TASS/. Turkey’s actions in Idlib are aimed to halt the Syrian advance in the east of the country, Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 channel on Wednesday.

He stated that Turkey "has made every effort to hinder the liberation of it (Idlib - TASS), so that we would not be able to move to the east," he said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has deployed troops to Syria following US orders, al-Assad claimed.

"From a military point of view, the top priority task now is Idlib. It is obvious that Erdogan has thrown everything he can at it, obviously by order of Americans. There is no doubt about that since after Idlib’s liberation our goal will be to liberate eastern regions," he said.

Tensions in Syria’s Idlib escalated once again in late February when Turkey stated that 36 of its military officers had been killed in an attack of the Syrian government forces. In response, Turkey struck over 200 Syrian military targets.

On February 27, Turkey announced the launch of Operation Spring Shield in Syria. Turkey has previously held three military operations in Syria, creating a buffer security zone between the border towns of Aazaz and Jarabulus, establishing control over Afrin and the territories to the east of the Euphrates.