Military operation in Syrian Civil War
On 27 February 2020, during the Dawn of Idlib 2 Operation, a joint airstrike was executed by the Russian and Syrian Air Forces against a convoy of the Turkish Army stationed in Balyun, within the Idlib Governorate. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reported that the assault resulted in the loss of 34 Turkish soldiers. However, alternative sources close to Turkey, suggested a significantly higher death toll, ranging from 50 to 70 casualties, marking it as the most lethal attack on Turkish forces since their engagement in the Syrian Civil War commenced. The assault also inflicted injuries on an estimated 36 to 60 soldiers, with 16 of them reported to be in a critical state. This incident represented the most substantial loss of life experienced by the Turkish Army on foreign territory since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. In response to this attack, the Turkish Armed Forces initiated Operation Spring Shield in the province of Idlib.
The strikes.
At around 11 a.m. on 27 February 2020, a pair of Russian Sukhoi Su-34s accompanied by two Syrian Su-22 fighter bombers initiated a series intensive of bombing raids on Hayat Tahrir al-Sham forces in the southern countryside of Syria's Idlib province. As per Russian sources, following 1 p.m., Turkish troops launched over 15 attacks using MANPADS against the Russian and Syrian jets. There were reports of certain Russian aircraft allegedly sustaining damage while evading the barrage of fire.
At around 5 p.m., a convoy consisting of a 400-man Turkish mechanized infantry battalion came under attack by an airstrike while traveling on the road between al-Bara and Balyun, about five kilometers north of Kafr Nabl. The convoy was first halted by a light airstrike carried out by a Su-22 aircraft. Subsequently, a second bombing forced 80 Turkish soldiers from the 65th Mechanised Infantry Brigade to seek shelter in nearby buildings. According to "Al-Monitor", it is suspected that the Russian jets dropped KAB-1500L bombs, resulting in the collapse of two buildings and trapping several soldiers under the debris.
Turkish retaliation.
In response to this attack, the Turkish Armed Forces initiated Operation Spring Shield in the province of Idlib. Fighter aircraft, combat drones and ground fire were used in the retaliation. Turkish combat drones entered Syrian airspace while Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter jets launched long range precision-guided munitions without entering Syrian airspace, according to Turkish sources. According to independent estimates, the retaliatory strikes resulted in the death of approximately 197 to 405 Syrian forces. However, the Turkish Defense Ministry had a significantly higher figure, claiming that the Syrian forces' casualties amounted to 3,138.
Aftermath.
On 27 February 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine bombarded Russian forces with Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drones at the Kherson International Airport at Chornobaivka. The Ukrainian embassy in Ankara reacted to these airstrikes, describing them as "revenge" against Russia for the 2020 Baylun incident and declaring that "there is such a thing as divine justice".
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