Turkey warned Syria on Thursday that it would respond if attacks in Syrias northwestern Idlib province continue, after a Turkish observation post in the region was attacked by mortar shells, which Turkeys Defense Ministry said were fired from areas under Syrian government control. A ministry statement said three Turkish soldiers were lightly wounded when 35 mortar rounds were fired at the observation point in what it described as a deliberate attack. "If the regime continues its attacks we will take the necessary action. No one should have any doubts about that," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a joint press conference in Ankara with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian. Cavusoglu also called on Russia and Iran to exert pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad to stop assaults in Idlib. Thursdays attack, which also damaged equipment and facilities at the observation post, came amid a ground offensive launched by Syrian government forces in late April against opposition-held areas near the Turkish border. Al-Qaeda linked militants and other jihadi groups have come to dominate the Idlib enclave, which first fell under rebel control in 2015. The recent government offensive began after a Russia-Turkey-backed truce in place for months failed to reduce the influence of extremists in the stronghold. The Russian-Turkish agreement established demilitarized zones with observation posts to monitor the ceasefire. Speaking to reporters, Cavusoglu denied news reports that Turkey and Russia had reached a new ceasefire agreement for Idlib but said the two countries were engaged in "serious and sincere" efforts to stop the conflict. Le Drian said: "(Idlib) is such a dangerous and explosive zone that it is important that the cease-fire is meticulously respected."