Intel: Russia, Turkey to take one more shot at reaching deal over Idlib

Russia and Turkey's foreign ministers met briefly today following a spate of tensions over clashes in Syria's Idlib, where the Syrian army — backed by Russian airpower — has launched an offensive to retake rebel-held territory that has left Turkish troops dead.

On Feb. 14, the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Opposing Sides rejected Turkish claims about the killing of 63 Syrian troops in the Idlib de-escalation zone, calling them “irresponsible."

Earlier, Ankara had said the Turkish military eliminated 63 Syrian government troops “within 24 hours alone."

"Such statements about 'the shelling attacks' on the Syrian government troops by the Turkish armed forces and, all the more so, about casualties among Syrian servicemen as a result of them, have nothing to do with reality," the center, which is part of the Russian Defense Ministry, said.