On Friday top Turkish officials were quoted as saying Turkey has no choice but to "loosen" its stance on the some 3.4 million refugees it is hosting.

This was the immediate, and perhaps predictable reaction, to Thursday's dramatic escalation involving the deaths of some 33 Turkish soldiers in Idlib via airstrike, in the single deadliest day for Turkey in Syria throughout the entirety of the war. Widespread early reports said it was a Russian strike, but in a sign that Ankara doesn't want to confront the more formidable Russian Air Force, it has blamed Syrian forces. 

Turkey has announced it has opened its until now sealed border with Idlib for at least 72 hours, and will allow unhindered passage of refugees to Europe.