Erdoğan calls for an end to regime offensive into rebel-held Idlib

Turkey's president spoke with two European leaders by phone Friday and called for an end to a regime offensive on the last rebel stronghold in the country that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's joint telephone call with the heads of France and Germany came amid mounting tensions between Turkey and Russia, which are backing opposing sides in Syria.

On Friday, Russian warplanes struck rebel-held areas in northwestern Syria as insurgents and regime forces exchanged artillery and mortar fire in other parts of Idlib province, the last rebel stronghold in the country, opposition activists said.

The Turkish leader told French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel that "the Assad regime and its backers' aggression in Idlib must be stopped," according to a statement from Erdoğan's office.

Erdoğan also emphasized the need for "strong support and concrete action" to halt the unfolding humanitarian crisis, his office said.

It followed a similar call by Merkel and Macron to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, during which they proposed urgent talks with Erdoğan to ease tensions.

Erdoğan said later Friday that he will hold a telephone conversation with Putin in the afternoon to discuss the situation in Idlib. "The result of this call will determine our position," Erdogan said.

Meanwhile, Turkey's Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, accompanied by military commanders, traveled to the Turkish-Syrian border to inspect troops, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

A Russian-backed regime offensive on Idlib and parts of Aleppo province have led to the displacement of more than 900,000 people, half of them children, since Dec. 1, according to the U.N.