Turkey’s intervention in Syria unjustified: Iran official

A senior Iranian official says there is no justification for Turkey’s military operation inside the Syrian territory.

“Military action by a neighboring country on Syria’s soil is by no means justified,” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told Fars news agency on Sunday.

“Military intervention in Syria by [its] neighbors will further complicate the situation and will bear no results but causing more insecurity in the [Middle East] region,” he added.

Amir-Abdollahian said Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey should promote common political approaches for resolving problems in the region.

“Hiring irresponsible armed groups triggers a vicious cycle that will increase terrorism and make regional countries more insecure,” he said.

Turkey’s military operation in Syria

Turkish ground troops supported by warplanes entered the Syrian territory late Saturday in an alleged attempt to evacuate the garrison guarding the Ottoman tomb of Suleyman Shah, which was surrounded by the ISIL Takfiri militants.

The tomb was located just over the border near the Kurdish town of Kobani, which was recently liberated from the ISIL.

Around 40 soldiers, including 20 elite troops from the Turkish special forces, were said to be guarding the tomb of Suleyman Shah, the grandfather of Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire.

Reports said 700 elite Turkish troops were involved in the Sunday offensive.

The Syrian government on Sunday denounced the Turkish army’s incursion into the Syrian territory as an act of “flagrant aggression” and held Ankara responsible for the repercussions of the operation.

Speaking in a news conference later on Sunday, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said his country had already informed its allies in the so-called anti-ISIL coalition of the operation.