Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke about the situation in Syria during a speech in Gaziantep, Anadolu reports. 

According to Erdogan, “it seems that the increasing attacks on civilians in Idlib have caused the latest incidents like the straw that broke the camel's back.” 

“Of course, Turkey cannot turn a blind eye to events in a country with which it shares a 910-kilometer-long border..... History will record how Turkey successfully passed this test of humanity despite everything to the contrary. We don't even care about the pebbles of any country. We care for our neighboring Syria to achieve the peace and tranquility it has been striving for 13 years, just as we care for the welfare of our country. Hatay, Hama, Homs. We want Damascus, Raqqa and Ain al-Arab to be safe,” Anadolu quoted the Turkish president as saying. 

Erdogan said Ankara will not allow “any action that will jeopardize our national security.”

“Syria belongs to Syrians with all its ethnic, sectarian and religious elements. Syrian lands are soaked with war, blood and tears. Our Syrian brothers deserve freedom, security and peace in their homeland,” he said.

“It would be better for our region if responsible actors and all international organizations support the protection of Syria's territorial integrity. We want to see a Syria where different identities live side by side in peace. We hope to see such a situation... The Damascus regime failed to understand the value of Turkey's outstretched hand and failed to understand what it means. Turkey is on the right side of history as it was yesterday,” Erdogan added.