Five Turkish soldiers were killed and five others were wounded as a result of “intense” shelling by Syrian government forces in Syria’s northern Idlib province, according to the Turkish defence ministry.

The ministry statement said Turkish artillery immediately responded to the attack, destroying targets.

Turkey has sent major reinforcements to Syria"s northwestern Idlib region where the attack occurred, as Ankara tries to stem rapid advances by Syrian government forces.

A rebel commander said the insurgents launched a military operation on Monday against the Syrian army near Saraqeb with the help of Turkish artillery, with witnesses also reporting Turkish shelling of Syrian military positions in the region.