SYRIA is fully prepared to respond to any attempted Turkish military offensive, its armed forces said today as its troops gathered close to the border in anticipation of an invasion. 

“In the wake of an upsurge in attacks by Turkish military forces on Syrian territories over the past two days and shelling on different neighbourhoods and a number of [Syrian] army positions, we reiterate that our valiant army is ready to confront any possible aggression by the Turkish regime and its allied militants,” a military spokesman said. 

Turkey’s bullish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to launch a new invasion to create a 30 kilometre (18.6 mile) buffer zone which he says is necessary to protect his country from terrorist attacks.