Turkey blamed the Syrian regime for the deaths of two of its soldiers on Thursday in the rebel stronghold of Idlib, as tensions also escalated with Moscow which accused Ankara of “supporting terrorists”.

The situation in Idlib province in northwestern Syria has grown increasingly volatile in recent weeks, with a Syrian offensive triggering a humanitarian crisis as close to a million civilians flee the violence.

Turkey built 12 military observation posts in the region as part of a 2018 deal with Russia to prevent a regime onslaught, but its forces have come under increasing attack.

Turkey blamed the two deaths on Thursday on a Syrian jet.

It brings the number of Turkish personnel killed in clashes with Syrian forces this month to 16. Five others were wounded on Thursday, the defence ministry said.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned this week of an “imminent” operation against Damascus unless it pulled its forces back behind Turkish positions by the end of February.

The defence ministry said it retaliated against regime forces on Thursday, with “over 50 regime elements, five tanks, two armoured personnel carriers, two armoured pickups and one howitzer destroyed.”

Clashes kill 25

Clashes were also reported between regime forces and Turkey-backed rebels in Nayrab, between the provincial capital of Idlib and the town of Saraqeb, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The UK-based war monitor said at least 11 fighters on the pro-regime side and 14 on the pro-Turkey side were killed in the flare-up.

Turkey backs certain rebel groups in the region and is determined to prevent a fresh flood of displaced people into its territory, where it is already hosting 3.6 million Syrian refugees.

Despite being on opposing sides, Turkey and Russia have worked in the past to find diplomatic solutions to the conflict, but recent talks over the Idlib offensive have failed to yield results.

“There has been a little more convergence in the last meetings, but we are not at the point we wish to be,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told state broadcaster TRT on Thursday.

Moscow repeated its claims that Ankara was supporting extremist groups in the region, which it denies.

“We urge the Turkish side, in order to avoid incidents, to cease support of the actions of terrorists and handing them arms,” the Russian defence ministry said.

It said it had spotted Turkish artillery firing on Syrian units, wounding four soldiers.

“We note this is not the first case of support for rebel fighters by Turkey,” it added.

Idlib is held by an array of rebels dominated by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadist group, which is led by members of the country’s former Al-Qaeda franchise.

More than 400 civilians have been killed since mid-December in bombings that have also hit hospitals and schools, according to the Observatory.

Around 900,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the largest displacement since the civil war in Syria broke out almost nine years ago.

The UN said 170,000 of those were living out in the open as the organisation’s refugee agency appealed to Turkey to take in more refugees.

French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned the regime attacks on civilians in Idlib, warning of an impending humanitarian disaster.