Large reinforcements including tanks, heavy artillery, rocket launchers and transport vehicles arrived in the town of Tel Abyad in the north of the Syrian province of Raqa, occupied since 2019 by the Turkish military, the Syrian national television reported.

Local activists reported that a number of artillery projectiles fired by the Turkish military hit homes in the towns of Um Harmala and Dada Abdel Shamal, in the Abu Rasin area in the northwest of the governorate of Hasakeh, causing material losses to properties, agricultural fields and some public facilities.

The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, threatened before Parliament to launch a military operation against the towns of Tel Rifat and Manbej in northern Syria with the argument of establishing a 30-kilometer security zone along the southern border.

Local media reported on Wednesday that the Syrian army reinforced its positions near the areas controlled by the Turkish forces and armed groups related to Ankara with military personnel and equipment.

Since 2018, the Turkish military and illegal armed groups have taken under their control large areas in the provinces of Idlib, Aleppo, Raqa and Hasakeh through three operations called Olive Branch, Fountain of Peace and Euphrates Shield.

The Syrian government rejected this presence and described it as an occupation and a threat to the integrity of the country.

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