DAMASCUS, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army announced on Sunday imposing a no-fly-zone over the country's battlefield Idlib Province, saying any hostile aircraft will be targeted, according to the state news agency SANA.
The airspace over northwestern Syria, particularly Idlib, is closed to any flight or drones and any aircraft violating the airspace will be dealt with as a hostile target and will be shot down, said the statement.
The new decision comes on the heels of the current tension with Turkey, which is backing the rebel groups in Idlib.
A day earlier, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said tens of Syrian soldiers had been killed within 24 hours in Idlib by Turkish drone attacks.
In its statement Sunday, the Syrian army said the "repetitive aggressive acts of Turkey" will not succeed in protecting the "terrorist groups" from the strikes of the Syrian army.
It said the Turkish forces continue to carry out acts of aggression against the Syrian troops in Idlib and its surroundings by targeting the positions of the Syrian army that is fighting the terrorist groups.
Meanwhile, the SANA said the Syrian forces shot down a Turkish drone over Idlib on Sunday.
Since December, the Syrian forces have been on a wide-scale offensive against the ultra-radical rebels in Idlib province, the country's last rebel stronghold, which borders Turkey.
It's worth noting that thousands of Turkish soldiers are deployed inside rebel-held areas of Idlib.
On Thursday, at least 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in airstrikes in Idlib, which Turkey blamed on the Syrian government.
The incident marked a serious escalation between the Turkish and Syrian forces and raised the prospect of an all-out confrontation between both sides.
