Turkey downs Assad regime's warplane in Syria

Turkey shot down an L-39 warplane belonging to the Assad regime as part of the ongoing Operation Spring Shield in northern Syria, the country’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

The ministry also gave out its 24-hour update on the Operation Spring Shield, saying 327 Syrian regime soldiers were neutralized, and 1 jet, 1 UAV, 6 tanks, 5 howitzer/rocket launchers and 2 air defense systems destroyed.

On Sunday, Turkey announced a new offensive, Operation Spring Shield, in Idlib, northwestern Syria.

It came after at least 34 Turkish soldiers were martyred and dozens injured in an Assad regime airstrike in the Idlib de-escalation zone, just across Turkey’s southern border, on Feb. 27.