Istanbul, Turkey (CNN) Five Turkish soldiers and one civilian personnel were killed in Syria on Sunday, Turkey's first fatalities as a result of direct confrontation between the countries since the start of Syria's civil war in 2011. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said up to 35 Syrian government soldiers had been killed Monday in response, and pledged further retaliation. Erdogan said up to 40 Syrian targets were being considered as part of the operation, and warned Russia -- the most powerful backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad -- to "not stand in our way." "We told the Russian authorities you are not party to this it is totally the regime and do not stand in our way. We will continue to respond, including with our F-16s, our howitzers, our artillery, it is all in the field firing on the targets determined by our national intelligence," Erdogan said.

Source: CNN February 03, 2020 10:36 UTC