Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said that Turkey would not vacate any of its 12 observation posts in Idlib and warned that Turkish soldiers were under orders to retaliate forcefully to Syrian attacks on the military posts.

Fighting between the two sides has led to the collapse of a fragile cease-fire brokered by Turkey and Russia in 2018.

The weekslong government offensive has created a humanitarian crisis with about 600,000 people fleeing their homes in Syria's last rebel stronghold since the beginning of December.

Search teams, aided by sniffer dogs, are scanning the avalanche field for bodies.

Officials said eight rescue workers were killed and an estimated 15 others were buried under the snow.

"He was arrested for absolutely no reason," Amir Tataloo's Instagram page reads.

The quake also injured over 1,600 people but at least 45 survivors have been pulled alive from the rubble so far, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

The death toll from a strong earthquake that rocked eastern Turkey climbed to 22 Saturday, with more than 1,000 people injured, officials said.

Turkish media said the earthquake sent people running outdoors for safety.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan showcased the SUV and sedan models of the car, known for now as TOGG after a consortium of Turkish companies that will produce them, at a ceremony in Gebze, in Turkey’s northwestern industrial heartland.