The situation is growing worse in Syria's northwestern opposition-held province of Idlib, where clashes have taken place between Turkish forces and the regime under Bashar al-Assad.
The UN has again raised alarm over the massive number of internally displaced people created by the latest Syrian government offensive: Almost 700,000 people have fled towards the Turkish border since December.
The situation is becoming ever more explosive in Syria's northwestern, opposition-held province Idlib. Forces answering to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russian forces and aircraft, are involved in a large operation to retake the province.
On Monday, five Turkish soldiers were killed and five others injured by Syrian artillery. The casualties happened while a delegation sent by Russian President Vladimir Putin was in Ankara to seek a solution to the crisis with the Turkish government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
A week ago, an attack by the Syrian army killed seven Turkish soldiers and one civilian accompanying them. The incident had sparked the most serious clash between Russia and Turkey in years.
The Turkish army, which had for several days been reinforcing its positions in Idlib through sending more men and armored vehicles, responded immediately. The Turkish defense ministry on Monday claimed that 101 Syrian ''elements'' had been ''neutralized'' (killed or injured), and that three tanks and two mortar positions had been destroyed ''according to initial information''.
The statement said that 115 objectives had been targeted thus far but that military operations were meanwhile continuing.
689,000 people displaced towards Turkish border
The escalation has further aggravated a situation that had already been described as ''out of control'' by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). OCHA estimates that 689,000 people have been displaced towards the Turkish border by the Russian-backed, Syrian government offensive since December.
The displacement is one of the largest in the almost 9 years of war in the country and has taken place in an area where about 3 million civilians are living. Many of them had previously been displaced from other areas of the country.
Agreement between Erdogan and Putin tested
Ankara has said that it is unable to accept more refugees in addition to the over 3.6 million Syrians already in the country and has threatened to open its gates to Europe if necessary.
The situation is testing an agreement reached between Erdogan and Putin that had in recent years resulted in strategic accords for other areas of Syria as well but was halted in the autumn during the Turkish offensive against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northeastern part of the country.
Turkey has asked Russia to carry out its duty as ''guarantor'' of a ceasefire in Syria and thus halt attacks by the Syrian regime. Iran, the third partner of the Astana talks and close ally of the Syrian regime, has expressed concern and claimed that it is "ready to facilitate dialogue."