"We are communicating with the Syrian government through Moscow's mediation," Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said

Turkish government maintains contact with Syria regarding the ongoing Turkish Armed Forces' operation in Afrin through the mediation of Moscow, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said on Sunday.

"We are communicating with the Syrian government through Moscow's mediation. The Free Syrian Army together with our units have entered Afrin. Russia has no objections regarding the operation. Iran's concerns are now being settled," Yıldırım said.

The Syrian government on Saturday denied Turkey had informed it of its planned military operation against Afrin. "Syria strongly condemns the brutal Turkish aggression on Afrin, which is an inseparable part of Syrian territory," a source from Syrian government told state-run SANA news agency. The source added that Turkey's move was yet another violation of Syria's sovereignty.

Syrian President Bashar Assad said on Sunday that Turkey's offensive against Syria's Afrin was along the lines of the country's policy which is built upon the support for terrorists.

On Saturday, the Turkish Armed Forces have launched an operation dubbed "Olive Branch" against the Kurdish forces in Syria's Afrin.

Syria had warned Turkish AKP government against launching a military operation in Syria's northwestern region of Afrin and said that Syrian air defences stood ready to defend against such an attack.