The Syrian military Sunday threatened to down any aircraft over northwest Syria after Turkish drone strikes killed dozens of pro-regime forces in the embattled region.

Turkey said Sunday it is "successfully" continuing its military operation against the Russian-backed Syrian regime in Syria's northwestern Idlib region but insisted it did not wish to clash with Moscow.

"Following the heinous attack on February 27 in Idlib, operation 'Spring Shield' successfully continues," Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar was quoted as saying by state news agency Anadolu. 

Qatar has confirmed its first case of coronavirus, state media reported Saturday, after a 36-year-old Qatari woman who was evacuated to Doha from Iran tested positive.

Iraq's bitterly divided parliament postponed a vote of confidence in prime minister-designate Mohammad Allawi's government for a second time Saturday, as political wrangling continued ahead of a looming deadline.

A Turkish official said Saturday that Turkey destroyed a chemical warfare facility in northwest Syria after dozens of its soldiers were killed by Syrian regime fire.

NATO's ruling council will meet Friday for urgent talks on the Syria crisis after at least 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in an air strike blamed on Damascus.

Turkey on Friday called on the international community to establish a no-fly zone over the northwestern province of Idlib to protect civilians from Syrian regime bombardments a day after the killing of 33 Turkish soldiers. 

The leaders of Russia and Turkey held crisis talks on Friday to try to scale down tensions after 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in a regime air strike in Syria.

At least three Syrian soldiers were wounded by Israeli helicopter fire near the annexed Golan Heights late Thursday, the official SANA agency reported.

The U.N. Security Council's western members called Thursday for a "humanitarian ceasefire" in Syria's war-battered Idlib region, but Russia was unmoved, saying the only solution was "to chase the terrorists from the country."