A Turkish F-16 jet downed an Assad regime warplane in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province near Maarat al-Numan, the National Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

The ministry noted in a statement that an L-39 type warplane belonging to the Syrian regime was downed by the Turkish forces.

The Turkish military has carried out the operation throughout the night and has destroyed a warplane, one drone, six tanks, five howitzers, two air defense systems, three armored combat vehicles, five technicals, six military vehicles, an ammunition dump and neutralized 327 regime soldiers, the ministry said.

Turkey on Sunday launched Operation Spring Shield after at least 34 Turkish soldiers were killed and dozens injured in an Assad regime airstrike in Idlib, a de-escalation zone in northwestern Syria, just across Turkey's southern border. Turkey's only target during the operation were Assad regime troops and equipment in Idlib under the nation's right to self-defense, stressed Akar.

Turkish soldiers were killed while working to protect local civilians under a September 2018 deal with Russia, which prohibits acts of aggression in Idlib.

But more than 1,300 civilians have since been killed in attacks by Assad regime and Russian forces in the zone, as the cease-fire continues to be violated, sending about a million refugees toward Turkey's border with Syria.