Turkey and Russia lock horns in Syria as fear of outright war escalates

As the nine-year Syrian civil war enters its final turn, Turkey and Russia, long-time allies in Syria, are on the brink of war over the Syrian province of Idlib.

Both sides are sending stern messages of warning as diplomacy to end the conflict has so far failed to de-escalate the situation.

In September 2018, Turkey, Russia and Iran signed an agreement (also called the Sochi accord) to create a…