Turkey returns fire after Syria shelling - TV

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey's military has returned fire across the border after Syrian shells again landed on Turkish soil, television channels say, according to BBC News.

The incident happened in southern Hatay province on Friday, October 5 afternoon, Turkish media said. No injuries were reported.

On Wednesday Syrian mortar fire killed five Turkish civilians in the town of Akcakale.

That prompted Turkey to return fire and its parliament to authorise military action inside Syria.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had warned Syria earlier on Friday at a large rally in Istanbul that the countries were "not far" from war.

Although he has insisted the parliamentary vote was only a deterrent and that Turkey would not start a war, he said at the rally: "Those who attempt to test Turkey's deterrence, its decisiveness, its capacity, I say here they are making a fatal mistake."

On Friday, Turkey moved tanks and anti-aircraft missiles into Akcakale and a Turkish foreign ministry official told Associated Press that Syria had pulled tanks and other materiel away from the border.

Friday's shelling incident reportedly took place in the Turkish town of Altinozu in Hatay province, much further west, at about 16:30 GMT.