Greece deployed tear gas Saturday to prevent surges of refugees from entering via Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his country has opened its borders, allowing 18,000 refugees to flood into Europe. He also claims that number will rise to as many as 30,000 by Sunday, according to a BBC correspondent.

The flood of migrants appears to be retaliation for the loss of at least 33 Turkish soldiers in Syria on Friday and the EU’s failure to uphold a 2016 treaty it signed with Turkey to assist with refugee intake, according to ABC News.

“No illegal entries into Greece will be tolerated. We are increasing our border security,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis declared on Twitter. (RELATED: How Demographic Trends Will Affect The 2020 Election)

Greek authorities have deployed tear gas in attempt to disburse the masses of migrants. Despite this, some were able to cut through a border fence and obtain entry to Greece, according to ABC.

Sabahın erken saatlerinden itibaren Pazarkule’ye gelişler arttı. Ara bölgedeki mültecilerin barikatı aşmaya çalışması üzerine Yunan polisi kitleye gaz bombaları attı. pic.twitter.com/OI76R8EyUZ — Vecih Cuzdan (@VecihCuzdan) February 29, 2020

10.54’te Yunan polisi, iki kapı arasında bekleyen yüzlerce mülteciye gaz bombalarıyla saldırdı. Ardından havaya ateş açtı. Şu an büyük bir kaos yaşanıyor. pic.twitter.com/8YzFN23cwr — Vecih Cuzdan (@VecihCuzdan) February 29, 2020

Mitsotakis also clarified that “Greece does not bear any responsibility for the tragic events in Syria and will not suffer the consequences of decisions taken by others.”

Earlier this week, Greek citizens clashed with police during a protest against the government’s plans to construct new migrant camps on the islands of Lesbos and Chios.