Turkey's air shield near al-Bab in Syria

Following last week's attacks on Turkish military positions in northern Syria, Turkish Air Forces established an air shield over the territory.

Military sources said that F-16 fighter jets have been patrolling non-stop over the Jarablus, Azaz and al-Bab triangle.

“Turkish F-16 fighter jets are patrolling the north of Syria with fuel tanker planes since last [Friday] night,” sources said.

The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) also deployed two Atılgan Medium-Low altitude air defense systems near the Syrian border on Saturday, a report stated. The air defense systems are expected to be deployed near al-Bab, a Daesh stronghold in the northern Aleppo countryside.

New military enforcement and air defense measures come after an airstrike on the Turkish military position in the north of al-Bab on Friday, martyring four soldiers and injuring a dozen others.

Turkish General Staff said in a statement that the attack may have been carried out by Syrian air forces.

The TSK has been assisting Free Syrian Army (FSA) forces in northern Syria against the Daesh and People's Protection Units (YPG) terrorist organizations with Operation Euphrates Shield.

Operation Euphrates Shield was launched on Aug. 24 to protect the Turkish border from terrorist groups and drive them away from Syrian cities across the border.

The joint forces have cleared around 1,800 square kilometers of area in northern Syria so far, and are advancing toward the south.

Turkey said the aim of the operation was to purge an area of approximately 5,000 square kilometers of the terrorist groups.

Following the attack, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed the Syrian situation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over two different telephone conversations on Friday and Saturday.

Turkish military operation was intensified in al-Bab and surrounding villages, with both airstrikes and artillery shelling hitting Daesh positions.

Meanwhile, anti-aircraft missiles stationed along the Turkish-Syrian border line have been activated.

The Turkish military-backed FSA forces have captured the village of Um Shukayf east of al-Bab from Daesh, closing the Manbij-Al Bab road.