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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Turkish military and logistical support was the main factor that helped insurgents to seize the northwestern city of Idlib from government control last month, Reuters reported.

Idlib, a short drive from the Turkish border, is only the second provincial capital to fall to insurgents in the four-year-long civil war. It was captured by an alliance of Islamist groups including al Qaeda's Syrian arm, the Nusra Front.

"Any war weakens any army, no matter how strong, no matter how modern," Assad said in an interview with Swedish newspaper Expressen, published on Friday.

In the fall of Idlib, "the main factor was the huge support that came through Turkey; logistic support, and military support, and of course financial support that came through Saudi Arabia and Qatar."

Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic, asked to comment by Reuters, said: "Claims that armed forces coming from Turkey have participated in the Idlib offensive do not reflect the truth. This is out of the question. These are baseless allegations orginated by the Syrian regime which should not be taken seriously."