Turkey says it will inform all actors about Syria offensive including Damascus

FILE PHOTO: A Turkish military helicopter flies over as Turkish and U.S. troops return from a joint U.S.-Turkey patrol in northern Syria, as it is pictured from near the Turkish town of Akcakale

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey will inform all relevant countries, including the Syrian government, about its planned offensive into northeastern Syria, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.

An aide to President Tayyip Erdogan said early on Wednesday that Turkish forces and Syrian rebel allies will push into Syria "shortly", in a move that world powers fear could open a new phase in Syria's war and deepen regional turmoil.

Speaking at a news conference in Algeria, Cavusoglu said the operation will be carried out in line with international law and that the only target of the offensive is militants in the region. He said Erdogan had told U.S. President Donald Trump in at the weekend that Ankara would launch the offensive after Washington stalled efforts to form a "safe zone" in the region.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Ece Toksabay; Editing by Dominic Evans)