TURKEY confirmed yesterday that its troops had entered Syria’s Idlib province — where chaos and bloodshed reached new extremes — on Sunday.

An armed forces statement said units had crossed the border for "reconnaissance activities."

Turkey announced the operation — in support of a “de-escalation zone” and in conjunction with the rebel Free Syrian Army, aiming to oust al-Qaida affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (Hetesh) from the province — on Saturday, claiming approval from Syria’s allies Russia and Iran.