The Turkish Army began shelling positions held by the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) from a border post in the southern province of Hatay on Saturday, Arab News reported.

The offense came just an hour after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hinted at an upcoming Afrin operation.

“If terrorists in Afrin do not withdraw, Turkey will destroy the province. Within a week, they’ll see what we’re up to,” Erdogan said during a speech in the eastern province of Elazig.

In recent months, Erdogan has used lyrics from an old Turkish song to warn Syrian Kurds that Turkey’s forces “might come suddenly one night.”

Ankara hopes to prevent the Syrian Kurdish PYD, which it regards as a terrorist organization closely linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), from carving out a “terror corridor” up to the Mediterranean.

Reporter’s code: 50101