Su-24 Russian strikes carried out air strikes to help Syrian government troops repel Turkish-backed rebels' attacks.

"Syrian rebel groups backed by Turkish artillery broke through the government army line in Qminas and Nayrab areas of Idlib province. A Su-24 attacker carried out an air strike, helping Syrian soldiers. successfully repelled all enemy strikes, "the Russian Mediation Center in Syria today released a statement.

Syrian government forces destroyed one tank, six infantry fighting vehicles and five pickups carrying heavy weapons. "The shelling wounded four Syrian soldiers and ended as soon as Moscow issued a notice to Ankara," the statement read.

Turkey's Ministry of Defense reported two soldiers were killed and five wounded in an air raid in Idlib province. Ankara confirmed that 50 Syrian soldiers were killed in retaliation, along with five tanks, two armored vehicles, two armed pickups and one destroyed cannon.

Idlib province is currently the only region controlled by rebel groups in Syria, many of which are backed by Turkey. Russia and Turkey agreed in 2018 to establish a demilitarized zone in Idlib province and demand that Islamic militants withdraw from the buffer zone. However, Russia later confirmed that the terrorist groups continued to operate in the province.

Location Idlib province in northwest Syria. Graphics: NPR.

Syrian government forces began an offensive against the last rebel-controlled territory in Idlib province on January 27. The campaign to retake Idlib was launched after a truce agreed by Russia and Turkey on January 12 broke down.

Turkey deployed about 5,000 soldiers and many tanks and armored vehicles to Idlib to prevent the advance of the Syrian government army, in the context of many Turkish observation posts here are surrounded.