A Syria war monitor reported that Turkish drone strikes killed 27 civilians in Syria within a 24-hour period following an attack on a defense company near Ankara. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights stated that Turkish forces had escalated aerial and ground attacks in north and east Syria since Thursday, with 45 drone strikes documented. Turkey launched air strikes on Kurdish militants in Iraq and Syria, blaming them for an attack that left five dead at a defense firm. The government suggested the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) was responsible for the attack.
Following the deadly incident, the defense ministry confirmed an air operation was carried out against terrorist targets in the north of Iraq and Syria. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces reported that Turkish air strikes killed 12 civilians in northeastern Syria and wounded 25 others, targeting various infrastructure and checkpoints. The SDF, backed by the US, played a key role in defeating the Islamic State group in 2019. Turkey views the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) as linked to the PKK and has conducted multiple offensives in northern Syria against the SDF.