Models are seen backstage ahead of the Hakan Akkaya x Cinderella Bridal Capsule Collection at Tersane Istanbul on November 30, 2021 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Ferda Demir/Getty Images for Hakan Akkaya)

People walk behind the Medusa head in the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul, Turkey, 24 July 2022. The site has been restored by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and is now open for visitors again. The Byzantine structure was commissioned by Emperor Justinian and built in 532. The underground Basilica, also called Underground Cistern, is the largest well preserved cistern in Istanbul, which rests on a total of 336 columns. According to historical texts, more than 7,000 slaves were involved in the construction of the cistern. (Photo by Sedat Suna/EPA/EFE)

Women take photos on Lake Salt, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, during the sunset in Ankara, Turkiye on July 3, 2023. Lake Salt, which is one of the important wetlands of Turkiye and is of great importance for the protection of biological diversity in our country, also attracts the attention of visitors. (Photo by Aytac Unal/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

A grizzly bear waves its paw at a vehicle on the road to Nemrut Crater Lake in Tatvan district of Bitlis, Turkiye on August 24, 2023. (Photo by Muhammed Selim Korkutata/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Turkish National athlete Sahika Ercumen persists in her preparations for the dive along the shores of Karamagara Bay as she will dive to break the 105-meter world record in the variable weight category without fins on the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic in Hatay, Turkiye on October 15, 2023. The national athlete is determined to exceed the 105-meter world record currently held by Serbian diver Lena Balta in the variable weight category without fins. (Photo by Sebnem Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

A couple shares a kiss as they celebrate New Year's Eve in central Istanbul's Taksim Square, in Istanbul, Monday, January 1, 2024. (Photo by Emrah Gurel/AP Photo)

Children look at Hares and Ducks ahead of the Turkey and dressed poultry auction at Chelford Market, northern England December 22, 2014. (Photo by Phil Noble/Reuters)

In one of the deadliest attacks in Turkey in recent years, two car bombs exploded near the border with Syria on Saturday, killing 43 and wounding 140 others. Turkish officials blamed the attack on a group linked to Syria, and a deputy prime minister called the neighboring country's intelligence service and military "the usual suspects."

The blasts, which were 15 minutes apart and hit the town of Reyhanli's busiest street, raised fears that Turkey could increasingly be drawn into Syria's brutal civil war.

Turkey already hosts Syria's political opposition and rebel commanders, has given shelter to hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees and in the past retaliated against Syrian shells that landed in Turkey.