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Syrian pro-government forces have entered the Kurdish enclave of Afrin, provoking an immediate response from Turkish forces besieging the area.
The government was asked for military help by a Kurdish militia that has been trying to repel an offensive by Turkish troops and allied Syrian rebels.
Fighters were seen passing through a checkpoint in armoured vehicles.
Turkish troops then shelled the area and Turkey said it had forced the pro-government fighters to retreat.
Turkey had threatened to confront government forces if they intervened, raising the prospect of direct conflict between two of the main players in Syria's civil war.
The development comes as:
Why is Turkey attacking Afrin?
Turkish leaders say they want to clear the Kurdish enclave of members of the People's Protection Units (YPG) militia, which they consider a terrorist group.
They say it is an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has fought for Kurdish autonomy in south-eastern Turkey for three decades.
The Syrian Kurds deny any direct organisational links to the PKK - an assertion backed by the US, which has provided the militia and allied Arab fighters with weapons and air support to help them battle the jihadist group Islamic State (IS).
The Turkish air and ground assault on Afrin, dubbed "Operation Olive Branch", began on 20 January.
Since then, Turkish troops and Syrian rebels have taken about 45 villages, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The UK-based monitoring group says the fighting has left at least 205 Syrian rebels and 219 Kurdish militiamen dead, along with 112 civilians. Turkey says 32 of its soldiers have been killed and denied reports of any civilian casualties in Afrin.
The government was asked for military help by a Kurdish militia that has been trying to repel an offensive by Turkish troops and allied Syrian rebels.
Fighters were seen passing through a checkpoint in armoured vehicles.
Turkish troops then shelled the area and Turkey said it had forced the pro-government fighters to retreat.
Turkey had threatened to confront government forces if they intervened, raising the prospect of direct conflict between two of the main players in Syria's civil war.
The development comes as:
- Syrian government warplanes continued to bombard the besieged rebel-held Eastern Ghouta region outside Damascus, reportedly killing dozens of civilians a day after strikes left more than 120 dead
- The government's ally Russia acknowledged that dozens of its citizens were killed or wounded in a recent armed clash in Syria - an apparent reference to a confrontation this month with US-backed forces in Deir al-Zour
Why is Turkey attacking Afrin?
Turkish leaders say they want to clear the Kurdish enclave of members of the People's Protection Units (YPG) militia, which they consider a terrorist group.
They say it is an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has fought for Kurdish autonomy in south-eastern Turkey for three decades.
The Syrian Kurds deny any direct organisational links to the PKK - an assertion backed by the US, which has provided the militia and allied Arab fighters with weapons and air support to help them battle the jihadist group Islamic State (IS).
The Turkish air and ground assault on Afrin, dubbed "Operation Olive Branch", began on 20 January.
Since then, Turkish troops and Syrian rebels have taken about 45 villages, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The UK-based monitoring group says the fighting has left at least 205 Syrian rebels and 219 Kurdish militiamen dead, along with 112 civilians. Turkey says 32 of its soldiers have been killed and denied reports of any civilian casualties in Afrin.