Turkey said its tanks had crossed the border into Syria on Wednesday morning after airstrikes and shelling that began shortly after midnight. It is the first time Ankara's ground forces have ventured into Syria, with the exception of a brief operation early last year to rescue the tomb of an ancestor of the founder of the Ottoman empire.
Turkey said it had hit 81 targets in northern Syria with F-16 warplanes as part of the operation, called Euphrates Shield, and had also shelled Isis positions in response to artillery strikes from within Syrian territory.