More than two dozen Turks, some of them civilians, have been killed in cross-border rebel attacks in the past several weeks, and the powerful Turkish military which, unlike the government, has long been pressing for action, is fanning public anger.
The Saudi-led military coalition said the latest air strikes in the northern province of Saada — the stronghold of rebels known as Houthis — were in response to cross-border attacks by the rebels targeting Saudi Arabian cities near the frontier.
Turkey's anger at cross-border attacks by Kurdish rebels is understandable.
Instead of crippling armed groups, it has encouraged cross-border smuggling and forced rebels to diversify how they make money.
Mr. Talabani's comments were in reference to Mr. Assad's endorsement of the Turkish Parliament's decision on Wednesday to authorize cross-border incursions against Kurdish rebels.
The Saudis bombarded the province over the weekend in response to cross-border attacks by the rebels, declaring that the kingdom's security was a "red line".
Mr. Talabani said in an interview that President Bashar al-Assad of Syria had crossed a "red line" by speaking approvingly of Turkey's threat of a cross-border offensive against the rebels.
The town's remoteness made it a haven for fuel smugglers and cross-border raids by Chadian rebels in the 1980s, leading to a multinational army mission being headquartered there.
Refugee camps close to the frontier became favourite targets for cross-border raids by Sierra Leonean rebels, attacking rival rebel groups, seeking supplies and hostages, and forcing the able-bodied to join their ranks.
International humanitarian organizations are already providing some cross-border humanitarian assistance to rebel-held areas, and should, as a matter of principle, increase their assistance to meet the needs.
