Trump threatens to 'hit Turkey very hard over Syria

U.S. President Donald Trump said he was talking to "both sides" as Turkey pressed its offensive against U.S.-allied Kurds in Syria, and warned Ankara that it would be hit hard financially if it did not "play by the rules."

"I say hit Turkey very hard financially and with sanctions if they don’t play by the rules! I am watching closely," the U.S. president wrote on Twitter.

On October 9, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the launch of Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria, which began with airstrikes on Kurdish positions. The operation’s goal is to create a buffer zone along the Turkish border, where, according to Ankara, Syrian refugees residing in Turkey could return.