Turkey to close border crossings with Syria: Turkish official

A Turkish official says Ankara will close Turkey’s border crossings with neighboring Syria until further notice.

“This is an open-ended measure and the reopening depends on the developments on the ground,” the official said on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

There are seven functioning border posts along the Turkish-Syrian border of about 900 kilometers (560 miles).

The development comes as clashes continue between Syrian security forces and foreign-sponsored armed gangs in a few cities.

Syrian forces engaged armed rebels in the southwestern city of Dara’a, about 114 kilometers (70 miles) south of the capital, Damascus, during the early hours of Wednesday.

On Tuesday, U.S, Israel and their regional allies-backed and financed armed rebels attacked security checkpoints in the northwestern city of Aleppo and there were reports of sporadic clashes between Syrian troops and rebels in the western city of Homs.

Meanwhile, most neighborhoods are now calm in the capital, with the Naher Aisheh suburb being the latest area that was fully cleared of armed gangs.