Turkey says new precautions are being taken along its border in response to recent developments in northwestern Syria as it engages in international efforts to broker a deal.
Speaking after Friday prayers in Ankara, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said "radical groups have taken over control" in Syria's Idlib province.
Last month, al-Qaida-linked Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham — Arabic for Levant Liberation Committee — also known as HTS, captured the majority of Idlib province after battles with the ultraconservative Ahrar al-Sham group. HTS also seized the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey's Hatay province.
"We are taking the necessary precautions in Hatay's 150-kilometer border with Syria," Yıldırım said, in order to prevent "humanitarian dramas" and threats against Turkey.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday said talks on the situation in Idlib are ongoing between the country's intelligence service, Iran and Russia.
