Syria accuses Turkey of 'colluding with Israel' to coordinate attacks

Duvar English

Damascus has accused Turkey of working in cooperation with Israel against the Arab country.

A statement released by the Syrian Foreign Ministry said that in tandem with the Israeli missile attack that targeted Syria early on Feb. 6, Turkey sent military convoys to Syria's northwestern province of Idlib.

Syria accused Turkey of protecting the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front in Idlib.

The Turkish military convoy was deployed between the towns of Binnesh, Marrat Masrin and Taftanaz to protect "the terrorists of Nusra Front," said the statement shared by Syria’s official news agency SANA.

“Turkish forces, in a close collaboration and exposed concurrence, and under the cover of the Israeli aggression, infringed upon Syrian borders and were deployed in areas stretching between the towns of Binnish, Ma'arrat Misrin and Taftanaz,” said the statement.

“Such a step affirms the common interests of Turkish and Israeli regimes regarding the protection of terrorists, particularly Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly known as Nusra Front), and to impede the advancement of Syrian army in Idlib and Aleppo, and to prevent the complete defeat of their proxies in Syria,” it said.

On the Israeli missile attack that targeted several military sites around Damascus, the statement said such attacks by Israel will not dissuade the Syrian army from continuing to battle “terrorism” in Syria.

Israeli warplanes on Feb. 6 fired missiles at targets near Damascus, SANA reported. The agency said air defenses intercepted most of the missiles, but that eight people were wounded.

The Israeli military declined to comment.

Israel has repeatedly bombed Iranian-backed militia targets in Syria, saying its goal was to end Tehran’s military presence there.