Turkey has threatened to launch an “imminent” counter-offensive against Bashar al-Assad’s advancing forces in Idlib province, raising the prospect that weeks of tension between Turkey and the Syrian regime could escalate into all-out military conflict. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s president, issued the warning ahead of his February 28 deadline for regime forces to pull back from several Turkish military positions in Syria and after talks with Russia to de-escalate the situation broke down. “An operation in Idlib is imminent,” Mr Erdogan said. “We are counting down, we are making our final warnings.” The Kremlin appeared rattled by the threat and urged Turkey not to move ahead with an attack on its Syrian allies, saying that a direct conflict would be “the worst case scenario”.... To continue reading, subscribe and try your first month for free. Already a subscriber? Log in Enjoy unlimited access to all articles Choose from all our exclusive newsletters Unlock money-saving offers and events Read the daily newspaper on your mobile devices via the Digital Edition app Start free trial *All Digital Access Subscription: first month free, £3 per week for 3 months, then full price at £6 per week.