Turkish Airlines said it will halt flights to Syria from Sunday, in a move that follows the Turkish government's decision to shut its embassy in Damascus and advise nationals to leave due to the violence gripping Syria.

Flights to Damascus and Aleppo would be halted, the airline's press office said.

Turkey has closed the embassy in Damascus, deepening Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's isolation, but it has kept open its consulate in Aleppo, a city 45 km (28 miles) east of the border with Turkey.