The Cutting Edge

Turkish troops were deployed to the border on Thursday as a precaution against the encroaching Syrian threat, the Jerusalem Post reports. The new rules of engagement, issued by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, come just days after Syria shot down a Turkish fighter jet, flying over international airspace.

Erdogan was reported as issuing orders which would allow Turkish troops to react to any perceived threat by neighboring Syria. More then 33,000 refugees and rebels have crossed the border in recent months to escape the violent crackdown by the Assad regime. Meanwhile, Reuters published an unconfirmed report that Syria is following suit, amassing close to 200 tanks on its side of the border.

General Mustafa al-Sheikh, the former head of the Higher Military Council who defected from the Assad regime, told the news agency that the tanks are, “preparing to move to the border to counter the Turkish deployment or attack the rebellious (Syrian) towns and villages in and around the border zone north of Aleppo.”

Tensions remain high