A Turkish fighter jet downed a Syrian regime warplane over the northwestern Idlib province Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said after nine civilians were killed in regime airstrikes, in the third such downing in three days.
Turkey on Sunday confirmed it had launched a military operation against Russia-backed regime forces in the border region, where Ankara supports some rebel groups.
Syrian state news agency SANA said one of its planes was "targeted" after two others were shot down on Sunday.
Turkey confirmed the downing of an L-39 jet.
"As part of the Spring Shield operation that is successfully continuing, an L-39 plane belonging to the regime has been downed," the Turkish defence ministry said.
The Observatory said the regime plane was brought down by a Turkish F-16 and crashed to the ground in a regime-held area south of the embattled rebel bastion.
The fate of the crew was not immediately clear, the Britain-based Observatory said.
Nine civilians, including five children were killed in missile attack on the city of Idlib, Zaman al-Wasl reporter said.
At least ten civilians were killed on Monday in Russian airstrikes on the rebel-held village of al-Fuaa in the northern countryside of Idlib, leaving nine people dead, according to Zaman al-Wasl reporter.
One person was also killed in Russian strikes on the town of Binnish.
Turkish Defence Ministry said Tuesday that its military operations have killed more than 350 regime troops and destroyed dozen of tanks and air deafens batteries in the past 72 hours.
Regime forces have since December been battling to retake the last major opposition bastion of Idlib from rebels and jihadists linked to Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate.
The Turkish operation came after an air strike on Thursday blamed on Damascus killed 33 Turkish soldiers in the region.
On Sunday, Damascus claimed to have brought down three Turkish drones over the region.
In its turn, Syrian regime forces shelling on the Turkish observation point in Taftanaz airbase has killed on Turkish soldier.
Turkey has launched a military operation in Idlib after weeks of mounting tensions with the Syrian regime, which has pressed an offensive, backed by Russian air power, to retake the province.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office confirmed he will hold a summit with Putin in Moscow on Thursday to discuss the escalating violence.
"I hope that he (Putin) will take the necessary measures there, such as a ceasefire, and that we will find a solution to this affair," Erdogan said in a televised speech.
The Kremlin said cooperation with Turkey was a top priority.
"Our militaries are in constant contact. The main thing is that we now focus on negotiations between Putin and Erdogan," a spokesman said.
Erdogan vowed Monday to keep the doors open for migrants heading for Europe, as he mounted pressure on Western countries to give Turkey more assistance with the Syrian conflict.
Erdogan also said he hoped to reach a deal on a ceasefire in Syria when he meets his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin later in the week following increasing clashes in the last rebel hold-out of Idlib.
He warned Europe that it will have to shoulder its part of the migrant "burden".
"After we opened the doors, there were multiple calls saying 'close the doors'," he said.
"I told them 'it's done. It's finished. The doors are now open. Now, you will have to take your share of the burden'."
Some 13,000 migrants, including Afghans, Syrians and Iraqis, massed at Turkey's border with Greece over the weekend after Erdogan announced that Turkey would no longer prevent them from leaving towards the European Union.
Clashes erupted as Greek police blocked thousands at the border, firing teargas at the refugees who responded by lobbing rocks.
Turkey hosts some four million refugees -- the majority of them Syrians -- but agreed in 2016 to prevent them leaving for Europe in exchange for billions of euros in assistance.
EU foreign ministers are due to meet this week at the request of Greece to discuss the situation, amid fears of a repeat of the refugee influx that poisoned European politics in 2015.
Athens is to boost patrols of its land and sea borders in the north-east and was also suspending consideration of asylum applications by those who entered the country illegally, said Greek government spokesman, Stelios Petsas.
- Ceasefire in Idlib? -
Close to a million people have been forced to flee the violence in the biggest wave of displacement of the nine-year conflict.
Turkey backs certain Islamist rebels and has observation posts in the area under a 2018 deal with Russia that was supposed to prevent a full regime assault.
But the Syrian regime has made steady progress since December, and on Monday, retook the town of Saraqeb, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor.
"Regime forces with Russian air cover were able to retake complete control of the town of Saraqeb on the Damascus-Aleppo highway," it said.
Tensions between Turkey and Syria reached new heights last week when 34 Turkish soldiers were killed in an air strike blamed on Damascus.
Turkey has retaliated with a full operation that saw two Syrian warplanes shot down on Sunday, as well as at least 19 Syrian soldiers killed in drone strikes.
But it remains determined to avoid a direct clash with Russia, with which it shares significant defence and trade ties.
The Syrian conflict has killed more than 700,000 people since it began in 2011 and displaced millions.
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