Turkish World Record Holder in freediving Sahika Ercumen dives to raise awareness about pollution in sea waters in Kas district of Antalya, Turkiye on June 07, 2023. Every year 400 tons of one time use plastic are made globally and in Turkiye 91 percent of the plastics are not recycled. (Photo by Sebnem Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

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.

Medics carry an injured at the explosion site in the busy center of Turkish capital, Ankara, Turkey, Sunday, March 13, 2016. The explosion is believed to have been caused by a car bomb that went off close to bus stops. News reports say the large explosion in the capital has caused several deaths and many casualties. (Photo by 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)

Birds are seen at Kizilirmak Bird Paradise in Turkey's Samsun on April 22, 2021. Kizilirmak Delta Bird Sanctuary, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List and hosts 359 to 487 species of birds in Turkey, became more active with the arrival of spring. (Photo by Mehmet Kumcagiz/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Muslims greet each other at Sultanahmet Square after performing Eid al-Adha prayer at Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey on July 20, 2021. (Photo by Mehmet Murat Onel/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

A handout photo made available by the Red Bull Press Office shows Italian pilot Dario Costa in action as he flying through the Catalca Tunnel in Istanbul, Turkey, 04 September 2021. Costa set a new world record for the longest tunnel flown through with an aeroplane marking 1,610 metres. (Photo by Nuri Yilmazer Handout/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A butterfly is seen at a farm in Beykoz disrtict of Istanbul, Turkey on October 26, 2021. Cigdem Unlu runs a farm where 800 butterflies live and being presented to the visitors as the environment exclusively weathered for butterflies. (Photo by Elif Ozturk Ozgoncu/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)