DAMASCUS, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Around 10 Turkish soldiers were killed or wounded on Monday after Syrian and Russian warplanes targeted a Turkish observation point in northwestern Syria, a war monitor reported.
The Syrian and Russian warplanes targeted the Turkish observation point in the area of Kinsafra in the southern countryside of Idlib province, which also led to damage of a number of Turkish vehicles, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The airstrikes come as Turkey has been heavily shelling Syrian military points in the town of Nairab in the eastern countryside of Idlib, as part of Ankara's will to retake this area from the Syrian army.
It's the third attempt by Turkey and allied Syrian rebels to take Nairab following two failed attacks.
The observatory said that intense battles are taking place between the Turkish and Syrian soldiers in Nairab.
The Syrian army has been on a crushing offensive to eliminate the ultra-radical rebel groups in Idlib and nearby Aleppo province.
Turkey, which supports the rebels, wanted to bring the Syrian offensive to a halt in Idlib, leading to several confrontations between both sides.
However, the Russian airstrikes against the Turkish point are a new development in the tension between both powers on the heels of the battle of Idlib.
