BEIRUT — Turkey renewed artillery attacks against Syria on Thursday, a day after the deaths of five Turkish civilians in a Syrian mortar strike triggered the most serious escalation in international tensions since the Syrian revolt erupted 19 months ago.
The cross-border incident underscored the long-standing danger that the conflict in Syria could draw in neighboring countries and, perhaps, trigger a wider regional conflagration.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights quoted activists in the Syrian border town of Tal Abyad as saying that an unspecified number of Syrian soldiers were killed early Thursday at a military base by Turkish artillery fire.
Reuters cited a Turkish military official as confirming that the strikes had resumed, as Turkey’s parliament met in emergency session to discuss a bill authorizing military operations in Syria, a move that could open the door to a broader offensive by Turkey.
The first Turkish attack came late on Wednesday, hours after a shell launched by the Syrian military crashed into the Turkish border town of Akcakale, killing five. Though this was not the first time the Syrian conflict has spilled over into Turkey since Syrians rose up in revolt against President Bashar al-Assad last year, the five people killed Wednesday were the first Turkish civilians to die.
Within hours, Turkey’s military retaliated with artillery strikes against unspecified targets, according to a brief statement issued by the office of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.
“Our armed forces in the border region responded immediately to this abominable attack in line with their rules of engagement; targets were struck through artillery fire against places in Syria identified by radar,” the statement said.
Amid growing international concerns that the conflict could escalate further, Syria’s ally Russia on Thursday urged Syria to publicly admit that its forces had fired the shell that killed the civilians.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Syrian authorities had told him the incident “was a tragic accident and that it will not happen again,” the Russian news agency RIA quoted him as saying during a visit to Islamabad.
“We think it is of fundamental importance for Damascus to state that officially,” he added.
Syria’s Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi told state television late Wednesday that the government was investigating the source of the gunfire, but he did not acknowledge Syrian responsibility.
“In case of border incidents that occur between any two neighboring countries, countries and governments must act wisely, rationally and responsibly,” Zoubi said.
NATO, of which Turkey is a member, met in emergency session Wednesday at Turkey’s request and issued a strongly worded statement calling the Syrian shelling “a flagrant breach of international law and a clear and present danger to the security of one of its Allies.” Although NATO pledged to continue to “stand by Turkey,” it proposed no immediate action.
U.S. reaction
In Washington on Wednesday, the White House also condemned the Syrian shelling and affirmed the United States’ solidarity with Turkey. “We stand with our Turkish ally and are continuing to consult closely on the path forward,” spokesman Tommy Vietor said.
The cross-border incident underscored the long-standing danger that the conflict in Syria could draw in neighboring countries and, perhaps, trigger a wider regional conflagration.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights quoted activists in the Syrian border town of Tal Abyad as saying that an unspecified number of Syrian soldiers were killed early Thursday at a military base by Turkish artillery fire.
Reuters cited a Turkish military official as confirming that the strikes had resumed, as Turkey’s parliament met in emergency session to discuss a bill authorizing military operations in Syria, a move that could open the door to a broader offensive by Turkey.
The first Turkish attack came late on Wednesday, hours after a shell launched by the Syrian military crashed into the Turkish border town of Akcakale, killing five. Though this was not the first time the Syrian conflict has spilled over into Turkey since Syrians rose up in revolt against President Bashar al-Assad last year, the five people killed Wednesday were the first Turkish civilians to die.
Within hours, Turkey’s military retaliated with artillery strikes against unspecified targets, according to a brief statement issued by the office of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.
“Our armed forces in the border region responded immediately to this abominable attack in line with their rules of engagement; targets were struck through artillery fire against places in Syria identified by radar,” the statement said.
Amid growing international concerns that the conflict could escalate further, Syria’s ally Russia on Thursday urged Syria to publicly admit that its forces had fired the shell that killed the civilians.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Syrian authorities had told him the incident “was a tragic accident and that it will not happen again,” the Russian news agency RIA quoted him as saying during a visit to Islamabad.
“We think it is of fundamental importance for Damascus to state that officially,” he added.
Syria’s Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi told state television late Wednesday that the government was investigating the source of the gunfire, but he did not acknowledge Syrian responsibility.
“In case of border incidents that occur between any two neighboring countries, countries and governments must act wisely, rationally and responsibly,” Zoubi said.
NATO, of which Turkey is a member, met in emergency session Wednesday at Turkey’s request and issued a strongly worded statement calling the Syrian shelling “a flagrant breach of international law and a clear and present danger to the security of one of its Allies.” Although NATO pledged to continue to “stand by Turkey,” it proposed no immediate action.
U.S. reaction
In Washington on Wednesday, the White House also condemned the Syrian shelling and affirmed the United States’ solidarity with Turkey. “We stand with our Turkish ally and are continuing to consult closely on the path forward,” spokesman Tommy Vietor said.