Four Turkish soldiers were killed and nine more injured, by artillery fire from Syrian government forces in the province of Indlib (northwest) on Monday, the Turkish Ministry of Defence announced.

Turkish forces had launched a new incursion into Syrian territory, in its stated goal of “clearing” the area near its borders, with the aim of extending the neutral zone further and controlling vital passages to its territories.

According to testimonies from residents of Idlib, Turks moved into Syrian territory with at least 200 units of tanks, helicopters and aircraft. This time, however, the Syrian army responded by firing rockets against positions occupied by Turkish troops, according accounts and photos and videos posted online by locals.

#BREAKING: 50 minutes ago,#Turkish Army launched these unguided rockets from its observation points at Tal al-Tukan, Shermagar and Al-Sorman at #Syrian Arab Army positions in #Idlib response to #SyAA artillery attack at #Tarnaba which led to death of several #Turkish Army troops! https://t.co/z0SfB4jVgg pic.twitter.com/z0gH4LdjFL

— Babak Taghvaee (@BabakTaghvaee) February 3, 2020