Turkish aircraft attack single target in Idlib, causing 'headache' for Syrian army

“As soon as Turkish drones appeared in the skies over Idlib, the character of the war changed dramatically: all the losses of the Syrian armed forces in the past few days were losses caused by drone strikes,” Poddubny said in the “News of the Week” program.

Drones in Syria.

Specifically, he cited the example of a truck transporting supplies and ammunition to one of the Syrian army units that was destroyed by a Turkish drone.

"At the moment, drones capable of bombing are a headache for the Syrian army. In addition, Türkiye spares no expense in this bombing, which is an expensive hobby. They hit supply convoys, and they hit individual targets - cars, pickup trucks, armored vehicles, and even motorcycles. Syrian army soldiers who are on the front line told us about this," Poddubny said.

On Saturday, Sputnik correspondents reported from the scene that in the area of ​​the city of Saraqeb in Idlib province, airstrikes destroyed a Syrian army ammunition truck, an armored vehicle and a motorcycle driven by Syrian soldiers.

According to Mr. Poddubny, "if the Turkish drones are not cleared from the skies over Idlib, it will be very difficult for the Syrian army to maintain its position."

"The rebels cannot do anything on their own - only with the support of the Turkish armed forces can they operate," he said. Earlier, a Turkish drone was shot down in the Saraqeb area of ​​Idlib. Meanwhile, the Syrian Armed Forces Command announced the closure of airspace over the Idlib region, after Turkish drones attacked Syrian army positions in the province and its vicinity.

Turkish President Recep Erdogan convened a security meeting following the attack. The NATO Council held consultations on the situation in Syria on Friday at Türkiye's request.

The US State Department said it supported Türkiye as a NATO ally and was "reviewing options for how best to support Türkiye in this crisis".