The Turkish government announced the start of the offensive on 19 January 2018, with Turkish Defence Minister Nurettin Canikli stating, "The operation has actually de facto started with cross-border shelling."
Den tyrkiske regering oplyste om starten af ​​offensiven den 19. januar 2018, hvor den tyrkiske forsvarsminister Nurettin Canikli udtalte: "Operationen er indledt med grænseoverskridende beskydning."