Turkey convinced Iran and Russia to abandon Assad, foreign minister says

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan provided new details about the toppling of Bashar Assad's government in Syria.

Fidan said on Friday that Turkey urged Russia and Iran not to intervene militarily to support Assad as Syrian rebels it has ties to mounted their lightning advance on Damascus.

"The most important thing was to talk to the Russians and Iranians to ensure that they didn't enter the equation militarily. We had meetings with [them], and they understood," Fidan told Turkey's NTV television.

He said if Moscow and Tehran, both key Assad allies since the start of the civil war in 2011, had come to the Syrian president's aid, the rebels could still have won but the outcome could have been far more violent. 

"If Assad had received support, the opposition could have achieved victory with their determination, but it would have taken a long time and could have been bloody," he said.

Turkey's aim was to "hold focused talks with the two important power players to ensure minimum loss of life", he added.