Damascus vowed Wednesday to respond to a planned Turkish invasion of northeastern Syria, saying it condemned Ankara's "hostile intentions."

Damascus "is determined and willing to confront a Turkish assault using all legitimate means," a foreign ministry source told state news agency SANA, condemning Ankara's "hawkish statements, hostile intentions... and military build-up" along the border.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday warned of the risks of Washington sending mixed signals on an American withdrawal from northern Syria. 

The Kurdish-led civilian administration in northeastern Syria issued a "general mobilization" call along the Syrian border with Turkey on Wednesday as Ankara poised for an imminent invasion of the area in the latest major escalation in the war-ravaged country.

Turkey has long threatened an attack on the Kurdish fighters in Syria whom Ankara considers terrorists allied with a Kurdish insurgency within Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long threatened to send troops into northeastern Syria to clear the border region of Syrian Kurdish fighters whom Turkey considers a serious security threat.

A Turkish invasion looks more likely after President Donald Trump's sudden announcement that U.S. troops, who had fought alongside the Kurds against Islamic State group, would withdraw from the area.

Algerian police Tuesday prevented a weekly protest by students in the capital for the first time since an anti-regime movement took to the streets in February, AFP journalists and witnesses said.

Turkey said Tuesday it was ready for an offensive into northern Syria, while President Donald Trump insisted the United States had not abandoned its Kurdish allies who would be targeted in the assault. 

An EU observer mission Tuesday regretted the lack of campaigning for Tunisia's presidential run-off between a candidate detained in prison and a rival who has called off his own canvassing for votes.

Russia's security council said on Tuesday it was important to avoid hindering the peace process in Syria, following discussions with President Vladimir Putin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Damascus is ready to welcome Syria's Kurds back into the fold after Washington left them to face Turkish military threats alone, a senior official said in comments published Tuesday.

US President Donald Trump has warned Turkey against going too far in Syria, just a day after giving Ankara an apparent green light to invade its southern neighbor and sparking panic among Washington's Kurdish allies.

The US pulled back 50 to 100 "special operators" from Syria's northern frontier, where they have served as a buffer preventing a long-planned assault by the Turkish military against Kurdish forces in Syria.