Iran Warns Türkiye Against Launching Military Operation in Syria

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (EPA)
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (EPA)
TT

Iran Warns Türkiye Against Launching Military Operation in Syria

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (EPA)
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (EPA)

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, in a phone conversation, exchanged views on the latest border developments and military conflicts between Türkiye and Syria.

During the talks, Amirabdollahian said Iran understands Türkiye's security concerns and stressed the need to end them.

However, Amirabdollahian said that "achieving that goal necessitates constant security talks between the two countries, said the Iranian foreign minister, adding that a resort to ground military operations will not only fail to solve the problems but will cause damage and complicate the situation."

According to the German news agency, the Iranian foreign minister also expressed Tehran's readiness to provide any assistance to reach a political solution to the existing problems between Türkiye and Syria.

For his part, Cavusoglu explained his country's position on the current situation in Syria, describing Iran's role as "constructive."

Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called on Türkiye to refrain from any ground invasion of northern Syria or military strikes against the north of Iraq, according to Reuters.

Turkish officials said Monday that its forces need just days to be ready for a ground incursion into northern Syria, which they have been attacking with long-range weapons and warplanes for days.

"I have urgently appealed (Türkiye) to refrain from measures that would further escalate violence – such as a potential ground invasion of northern Syria or military action in northern Iraq," Baerbock said on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Bucharest.

Turkey's bombardments of a Kurdish militia across the border in Syria come after months of threats by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of a new ground invasion against Kurdish forces, which he considers to be terrorists.

"International law applies, of course, when it comes to the protection against acts of terrorism," Baerbock said.

Syria sees Turkey as an occupying force in its north, and Damascus has said it would consider any new Turkish incursions to be "war crimes."



Russian Helicopter with 22 on Board Goes Missing in Far East

A Russian Mi-24 helicopter flies at the Russian military base of Hmeimim, located south-east of the city of Latakia in Hmeimim, Latakia Governorate, Syria. (File photo: AFP)
A Russian Mi-24 helicopter flies at the Russian military base of Hmeimim, located south-east of the city of Latakia in Hmeimim, Latakia Governorate, Syria. (File photo: AFP)
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Russian Helicopter with 22 on Board Goes Missing in Far East

A Russian Mi-24 helicopter flies at the Russian military base of Hmeimim, located south-east of the city of Latakia in Hmeimim, Latakia Governorate, Syria. (File photo: AFP)
A Russian Mi-24 helicopter flies at the Russian military base of Hmeimim, located south-east of the city of Latakia in Hmeimim, Latakia Governorate, Syria. (File photo: AFP)

A Russian helicopter with three crew members and 19 passengers on board has gone missing in the far eastern peninsula of Kamchatka, the emergencies ministry said on Saturday.

The Mi-8T helicopter took off from a base near the Vachkazhets volcano and the crew failed to report at the scheduled time of 04:00 GMT, Interfax news agency reported, citing the federal air transport agency, Reuters reported.

The emergencies ministry said the search and rescue operation was being hampered by thick fog in the area.

Kamchatka, which is nine hours ahead of Moscow, is a popular tourist destination, known for its pristine rivers, geysers and volcanoes.