Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan didn't react well to a widely ridiculed letter penned by US President Donald Trump and promptly threw it in the bin, according to a report.
On Thursday, a 9 October correspondence emerged in which Mr Trump warned his Turkish counterpart about invading northern Syria, telling him "don't be a tough guy. Don't be a fool!"
But on Friday, BBC Turkish reported that Mr Erdogan was far from happy with it.
The outlet spoke to presidential sources who said "President Erdogan received the letter, thoroughly rejected it and put it in the bin."
Northern Syria under attack this week. Source: AAP
Turkey went on to launch its invasion of northern Syria that day, bombarding long-time Kurdish rivals across the border.
'Hell of a leader'
Mr Trump has faced criticism over the letter, with some pundits questioning if it was even real.
"You don't want to be responsible for slaughtering thousands of people, and I don't want to be responsible for destroying the Turkish economy - and I will," it read.
"History will look upon you favourably if you get this done the right and humane way. It will look upon you forever as the devil if good things don't happen."
But Mr Trump used very different language on Friday, as Turkey agreed to suspend its Syria offensive for five days.
US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in Texas. Source: Getty
"I just want to thank and congratulate President Erdogan. He's a friend of mine, and I'm glad we didn't have a problem because, frankly, he's a hell of a leader, and he's a tough man," Mr Trump told reporters.
"What he did was very smart, and it was great for the people of Turkey ... And they're lucky that it was him that was making the decision."
Mr Trump hailed the deal, reached after more than four hours of talks led by US Vice President Mike Pence, as "a great day for civilisation."
Hundreds killed, thousands displaced
After US forces abruptly left the region last week, Turkish forces began attacking long-time Kurdish rivals across the Turkey-Syria border.
Mr Erdogan claimed the incursion is to combat rival Kurdish militants and create a buffer zone that he can send Syrian refugees back to.
But Turkey has faced wide condemnation, with many European countries including Germany imposing arms embargoes.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said more than 300,000 civilians had been displaced within Syria since the start of the assault, calling it one of the largest upheavals since Syria's civil war began in 2011.
The monitor said nearly 500 people have been killed including dozens of civilians, the majority on the Kurdish side.
Additional reporting: AFP
