Syrian government forces started shelling with rocket-propelled grenades in Lattakia countryside on Thursday morning, according to Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The Syrian Observatory documented the killing of a member of Syrian forces by faction snipers on the Hakoura axis in al-Ghab plain in the western countryside of Hama, during the exchange of shelling.
With more casualties, it brings to 4,145 the number of people killed since the start of the most violent escalation in the “de-escalation” zone on April 30. On Monday, Ankara witnessed a summit, the fifth of the heads of the three guarantors of the areas of de-escalation in Syria, namely: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian Hassan Rouhani and Russian Vladimir Putin.
The final communiqué of the summit stressed the preservation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, adherence to the principles of the United Nations, and the rejection of any attempt to create any new facts on the ground, under the cloak of fighting terrorism in Syria.
In the meantime, Turkey has signaled the establishment of permanent military bases in the safe area to be established in northern Syria under the coordination of US-Turkish, amid a dispute between Washington and Ankara over the nature of the work of their respective forces in these areas.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar threatened to end cooperation with the United States over the safe area in Syria if Washington resorted to what he described as "stalling and delays" over its establishment, according to the Turkish newspaper Ahwal.
"We will build bases for patrols east of the Euphrates," Akar said. "There will be common rules with the United States and we want them to be permanent."
He added that Ankara would continue talks with Washington on the safe area "as long as it is consistent with our goals and objectives."
The Turkish Defense Minister threatened that Ankara will build military bases on its own in the safe area, in the event of «procrastination» Washington on the establishment of this region, pointing out that the number of those bases «will be determined from the situation on the ground».
Ankara is seeking to establish military bases in the safe area in Syria, as it did in the past in northern Iraq, where it has established more than 20 military bases there.
The Turkish Defense Minister reiterated in his press statements that the goal of his country is «to establish a region with a depth of 30-40 km, along the border to ensure security».
Turkey maintains military bases in Al-Bab, Jarablus, Azaz, and Afrin areas, which are totally under Turkish control, as well as the Turkish army's control of Afrin.
Turkey has set up 12 checkpoints inside the provinces of Idlib, Hama and Aleppo, in agreement with the Russian and Iranian sides, with the aim of implementing the so-called "de-escalation agreement" in areas that separated Syrian government forces from the opposition.
Turkey later reinforced these points, which have turned into some sort of real military bases inside Syrian territory, such as those near the central town of Murk, which includes hundreds of soldiers, located 88 kilometers from the Turkish border.
On the other hand, Turkey has ordered doctors from across the country to support a planned cross-border military operation in Syria, according to three government officials involved.
According to Bloomberg News, the Ministry of Health has asked doctors from several states, including Ankara and Istanbul, to be present along the Turkish-Syrian border from yesterday until October 20.
Turkey deploys medical teams on the border with Syria to support a possible military operation.