Iran calls for 'immediate halt' to Turkish Syria offensive

• Iran called Thursday for an immediate halt to Turkey's offensive on Kurdish-ruled northeastern Syria.
• Iran is a close ally of the Syrian government.
• Kurdish forces that were the mainstay of the US-led campaign against the Islamic State group.

"Iran... emphasises (the need for) an immediate halt to the assault and the departure of Turkish military units from Syrian territory," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Iran is a close ally of the Syrian government, which has sought to exploit the Turkish offensive against Kurdish forces that were the mainstay of the US-led campaign against the Islamic State group in Syria to win the region back to central government control.