ANKARA, November 24. /TASS/. A new Turkish cross-border operation in Syria may start after December, Abdulkadir Selvi, a columnist for the Hurriyet newspaper, said on Thursday.

"The Turkish armed forces are conducting ‘Operation Claw Lock’ in Iraq. It is expected to be completed in December. After that, the countdown to the ground operation in Syria should begin. This time a much larger operation is planned," the reporter revealed.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that a cross-border ground operation in northern Syria against the Kurdistan Workers' Party and the People’s Defense Units, based there and recognized as terrorist organizations by Ankara, could be conducted in the near future.

More than 50 aircraft and 20 drones are taking part in Turkey’s ‘Operation Claw Sword’. Turkish air power is getting ground support from artillery. The strikes were carried out against sites where the Kurdistan Workers' Party and its Syrian branch (the People’s Defense Units), outlawed in Turkey, are said to be located. The Turkish National Defense Ministry reported that the operation was successfully conducted in northern Iraq in the districts of Qandil, Asos and Hakurk, as well as in the districts of Kobani, Tal Rifat, Cizire and Derik in northern Syria.