Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Kurdish militants in Syria will either lay down their weapons or "be buried", amid hostilities between Turkey-backed Syrian fighters and the militants since the fall of Bashar al-Assad this month.

The announcement comes after Kurdish groups said they had launched a counteroffensive against Turkish forces that entered Syria and taken territory

If Turkey decides to arm the rebel forces, it is unclear how Israel will respond and whether it will be able to thwart the transfer of American-backed weapons.

Turkey is in close dialogue with Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, adding visits to Syria will increase from now on.