Damascus warns: Any Turkish attack on Afrin will be responded by Syrian military

Deputy Foreign and Expatriates Minister Fayssal Mikdad affirmed on Thursday that Syria will confront any Turkish aggression or military action against its territory with appropriate response.
“We warn the Turkish leadership that in the event of initiating hostilities in the area of Afrin, this will be considered an act of aggression by the Turkish army on the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic’s territories in accordance with the international law known to the Turkish side,” Mikdad said in a statement read to journalists at the Ministry HQ.
“We note that the Syrian Air Defense has regained its full strength and is ready to destroy the Turkish air targets in the skies of the Syrian Arab Republic. This means that in the event of Turkish airstrikes on Syria, the Turkish side should realize that it is not going in a picnic,” he added.
“I confirm and hope that the Turkish side will listen well and I also hope that this message will be clear to all whom this may concern that Afrin in particular and the northern and northeastern region of the Syrian Arab Republic has always been a Syrian Arab territory as it will always be,” Mikdad noted.