UN: Syria has 'grave impact' on regional security (+video)
As Turkey bombarded Syria Thursday, the UN Security Council condemned Syria's initial mortar attack on Turkey. A peaceful anti-war protest took place in Istanbul on Thursday evening.
AKCAKALE, Turkey
Frightened residents of a Turkish border town shelled by Syria expressed skepticism on Friday that military and political retaliation by Ankara would succeed in deterring more deadly strikes by Damascus forces.
Turkish artillery bombarded Syrian military targets for a second day on Thursday, responding to the mortar fire that killed five people the day before in the southeastern town of Akcakale.
The salvoes killed several Syrian soldiers, and Turkey's parliament stepped up pressure on the political front by authorising cross-border military action in the event of further aggression.
In New York, the U.N. Security Council on Thursday strongly condemned the mortar attack by Syria and demanded that "such violations of international law stop immediately and are not repeated."
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara would never want to start a war and the parliamentary vote was merely a deterrent, but people in the region remained fearful.
