Turkish military planes have hit targets in northern Syria and Iraq, bombing bases Turkey’s defence ministry claimed were used by those behind an explosion in central Istanbul last weekend that killed six people and wounded more than 80, APA reports citing Al Jazeera.
The Turkish defence ministry announced the launch of the raids in a statement on Twitter on Sunday.
“The hour of reckoning has come,” the Turkish defence ministry tweeted early on Sunday, along with a photo of a military plane taking off on a night-time operation, adding that those who had perpetrated the “treacherous attacks” would be held accountable.
The operation involved 50 aircraft and 20 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
It is not ruled out that ground operations will be carried out.
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Turkish aircraft shelled two villages populated with internally displaced people in northern Syria, a spokesman for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Twitter late on Saturday, APA reports citing Reuters.
Turkiye said on Tuesday it plans to pursue targets in northern Syria after it completes a cross-border operation against outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in Iraq, following a deadly bomb last weekend in Istanbul.
The government has blamed Kurdish militants for the blast on Istanbul's Istiklal Avenue on Nov. 13 that killed six people and injured more than 80.
"The Turkish occupation aircraft are shelling the al-Beilonya village which is heavily populated with Afrin IDPs who were forcibly displaced from Afrin in 2018," said Farhad Shami, head of the SDF media centre, on Twitter.
"In addition to the Dahir al-Arab village, which is populated with Ras al-Ain IDPs who were also forcibly displaced by the Turkish occupation in 2019," he added.
The Turkish defence ministry said in a tweet late on Saturday it was "asking for account for the treacherous attack" with a photo of a fighter jet taking off.
No group has claimed responsibility for the blast on the busy pedestrian avenue, and the PKK and SDF have denied involvement.
Turkiye has conducted three incursions so far into northern Syria against the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, which it says is a wing of the PKK.
President Tayyip Erdogan has previously said Turkiye could conduct another operation against the YPG.
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