Egypt condemned "in the strongest terms" the Turkish offensive in Syrian lands, calling for an emergency Arab League meeting to discuss the developments in the war stricken country.

In an official statement, Egypt’s foreign ministry described the move by Turkey as a "blatant and unacceptable attack" on the sovereignty of an Arab state.

“This is an exploitation of the circumstances and ongoing developments in the country, and contravenes with the norms of international law,” it said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Turkey launched a military operation against Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria, with airstrikes hitting the border town of Ras Al-Ain.

The step, which world powers say could worsen regional turmoil, has been justified by Ankara as a move to create a "safe zone" in order to return millions of refugees to Syrian soil, Reuters reported.

The statement by the Egyptian foreign ministry stressed on the responsibility of the international community, represented through the UN Security Council, to combat the extremely dangerous development which could threaten international peace and security.

“We call for the suspension any endeavors that aim to occupy Syrian lands or bring about demographic engineering in northern Syria,” the ministry added.

The statement warned of the threat the Turkish move represents to Syria’s unity and territorial integrity, and to the political path in Syria under UN Security Council Resolution 2254.

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