Pompeo: Assaults by Assad regime and Russia must stop

“My condolences to the families of the soldiers killed in yesterday's attack in Idlib,” he said on his Twitter account, adding he had "sent Jim Jeffrey to Ankara to coordinate steps to respond to this destabilizing attack."

The tweet ended with a pledge that the US would "stand by our NATO ally Turkey."

Meanwhile, the Turkish military and the Syrian National Army (SNA) launched a counteroperation in Idlib on Monday, as the number of Turkish casualties in Assad regime attacks rose to 13.

Ankara and Moscow had agreed in Sochi last year to stop acts of aggression and turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone, which was to be monitored from 12 Turkish observation points across the province.

However, the regime, with support from Iranian-backed militias and the Russia, has consistently violated the cease-fire, launching frequent attacks inside the de-escalation zone. 

Based on DS