Reactions are multiplying at the international level after the death of at least 33 Turkish soldiers in the Idleb region (north-west of Syria) in air strikes attributed by Ankara to the Syrian regime, supported militarily by Russia. The European Union is concerned about the risk of "major international military confrontation".

The European Union is concerned about a "risk of major international military confrontation" in Syria and "will consider all the measures necessary to protect its interests in matters of security", announced on Friday the head of his diplomacy Josep Borrell. "There is an urgent need to end the current escalation. There is a risk of sliding into a major open international military confrontation," he said in a message on his twitter account.

"The EU calls on all parties to rapidly de-escalate and regrets all the loss of human life," he added. "The EU will consider all the measures necessary to protect its security interests. We are in contact with all the actors concerned," he added.

This intervention comes after the death on the night of Thursday to Friday of at least 33 Turkish soldiers in the Idleb region (north-west of Syria) in air strikes attributed by Ankara to the Syrian regime, militarily supported by Russia .

Putin and Erdogan worried about "escalating tensions" in Syria

Sixteen Syrian regime fighters were also killed in reprisal bombings by the Turkish army, also in Idleb province, an NGO reported on Friday. The Turkish bombings carried out "by artillery or with armed drones" targeted positions of the regime, particularly in the south or east of the province of Idleb, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights ( OSDH). The Damascus authorities have not commented on the escalation with Ankara in this northwestern province of Syria, nor provided an assessment.

Russian presidents Vladimir Putin and Turkish Recep Tayyip Erdogan also had a conversation on the phone on Friday and said they were "worried about escalating tensions". The two heads of state "continued to exchange views on the situation in Syria," the Kremlin said in a statement, adding that they are "seriously concerned about the escalating tensions in Idleb". According to the press release, they also spoke of the need to "improve the efficiency" of the communication channels between the armies of the two countries, as well as "to take additional measures" to normalize the situation. "It is agreed to intensify the relevant inter-ministerial consultations and to study the possibility of holding a summit soon," added the press release.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov offered his condolences to Turkey, saying he wanted to prevent "such tragedies" from happening again and that Moscow "would do everything to ensure the safety of Turkish soldiers" deployed in Syria. "We offer our condolences and do our utmost to ensure the security of the Turkish soldiers who guarantee the de-escalation regime in the Idleb area," said Sergey Lavrov at a press conference in Moscow. However, he warned that "in response to the constant violations of the ceasefire regime in the area, the Syrian army has every right to respond." "We cannot ban them," he added.

Consequences on migratory flows?

The heavy losses sustained by Ankara on Thursday come after weeks of mounting tensions in Idleb between Turkish and regime forces, which have clashed repeatedly since the beginning of the month. After the deaths of at least 33 Turkish soldiers, Russia, an ally of the Syrian regime, accused Ankara's troops on Friday of having been among "fighting units of terrorist groups". Thursday's deadly bombings bring the number of Turkish soldiers killed in Idleb to February at least 53.

And this escalation is likely to have consequences for migration flows: a senior Turkish official said Friday morning that Turkey would no longer prevent migrants trying to get to Europe from crossing the border. Greece decided to step up its patrols on the border with Turkey after this announcement.