- NEW: Turkey has no interest in war with Syria, adviser says
- Syrian security forces were killed in the latest shelling, group says
- Turkey is shelling Syrian military sites near Tal Abyad, the opposition says
- An emergency session of the Turkish parliament was called following the attack
Read a version of this story in Arabic.
Istanbul, Turkey (CNN) -- Turkey shelled Syrian military sites near its border early Thursday, according to the opposition, even as the foreign policy adviser to the Turkish prime minister said the country "has no interest in war with Syria."
The statement came as the Turkish parliament was set to consider a resolution to pre-emptively strike its neighbor should it pose a threat.
The opposition claims follow news Wednesday that Turkey fired on Syrian government targets in response to the shelling of a Turkish border town. The strike prompted the Turkish parliament to convene an emergency session.
"This circumstance has reached a point that constitutes serious threat and risk to our national security. Therefore, it has become necessary to be able to respond to further risks and threats in a timely and immediate manner," according to a resolution sent to parliament by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The cross border attacks are raising fears the spillover from Syria's civil war could ignite a wider regional conflict. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned the strikes demonstrate "how Syria's conflict is threatening not only the security of the Syrian people but increasingly causing harm to its neighbors."
The Turkish military began shelling Syrian military sites in Tal Abyad, about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the Turkish border, on Thursday, the al-Raqqa provincial chapter of the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria reported.
A number of Syrian security forces were killed in the Turkish shelling of a military center in Rasm al-Ghazal, just south of Tal Abyad, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
At least five people were killed and more than a dozen injured when the border town of Akcakale was hit by artillery fired by Syrian government forces, the statement said.
"Turkey has retaliated to yesterday's incident without declaring war on Syria. Political, diplomatic initiatives will continue," Ibrahim Kalin, the foreign policy adviser to Erdogan said Thursday in a posting on Twitter.
He also said: "Turkey has no interest in a war with Syria. But Turkey is capable of protecting its borders and will retaliate when necessary."
The resolution before parliament calls for authorizing the government to send Turkish forces "to foreign countries, with the administration determining the where, the scope, the numbers and the time of such deployment."
The resolution points to a series of aggressive acts against Turkey by Syria beginning on September 20, the day fighting between rebels and Syria government forces near the border left three Turkish civilians wounded and temporarily forced the closure of area schools and farms.
Relations between Damascus and Istanbul have ruptured over the 18-month conflict in Syria, destroying a once cozy bilateral relationship that saw visa-free travel between the two countries and booming trade.
But as the body count has climbed -- an estimated 30,000 dead, according to Syria opposition groups -- and tens of thousands fled across the border to Turkey, Erdogan began calling for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down.
Turkey has had a key role in calling for a transition of power in Syria, hosting international diplomats at ad hoc meetings of the Friends of Syria, a group that was formed after the U.N. Security Council failed to take action.
Syria, meanwhile, has accused Turkey of arming and funding Syrian rebels.
In a statement, Ban warned late Wednesday the "ongoing militarization of the conflict in Syria is leading to tragic results for the Syrian people."
In other developments:
Battle for Damascus
Widespread fighting was reported Thursday across Syria, with at least 21 Republican guards killed in an explosion in a Damascus suburb where government troops have been battling rebels, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The explosion occurred at a military housing unit in the Syrian capital city's suburb of Qudsaya, the rights group said.
Fierce clashes were also reported in Yarmouk Camp, home to the largest Palestinian community in Syria, the LCC said.
Yarmouk Camp has been the scene of on-again, off-again intense fighting in recent months, with government forces shelling rebels and firing on them from helicopters, according to opposition reports.
Heavy shelling was also reported in Hama, Homs and Deir Ezzor, where the Church of the Virgin Mary was targeted by Syrian forces, the LCC said.
CNN is unable to independently confirm reports of casualties or violence because the Syrian government has severely restricted access by international journalists.
"Outrageous act," part two
Britain's foreign secretary echoed U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, calling Wednesday's cross border shelling of the Turkish town of Akcakale an "outrageous act."
"Today's events are a stark reminder of the deteriorating situation in Syria, the dangers it presents to the wider region, and the need for an urgent resolution of the United Nations Security Council," Foreign Secretary William Hague said late Wednesday.
Clinton used the same language to describe the shelling of the town.
The Syrian government has said it is investigating the incident.
"In case of border incidents that occur between any two neighboring countries, countries and governments must act wisely, rationally and responsibly, particularly since there's a special condition on the Syrian-Turkish borders in terms of the presence of undisciplined terrorist groups spread across the borders who have varying agendas and identities," Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said Wednesday, according to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
Russia: Terror tactics in Aleppo "immoral"
Russia, a Cold War-era ally of Syria, denounced a wave of explosions that left dozens dead in the flashpoint city of Aleppo, Syria's largest city, as "immoral" and "inadmissible."
The comments by the Russian Foreign Ministry came as the al Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front claimed responsibility for Wednesday's bombings that killed at least 40 people and wounded 90 more. The group said the strikes at a popular square were carried out by suicide bombers who drove explosive-laden vehicles and armed gunman disguised as Syrian security forces.
The see-saw fight for Aleppo, once considered an al-Assad stronghold, has continued nearly unabated since July, though the number of casualties has steadily increased.
"Those behind the attacks and those who carried them out must be found and punished," the Foreign Ministry said in a post on its official Twitter account.
It also said: "Supporting those who commit crimes like these is immoral and inadmissible."
Russia, along with China, has repeatedly blocked U.N. Security Council efforts to try to end the carnage. Russia's foreign minister has said the conflict must be decided by the Syrian people.
Russia, though, has repeatedly called for an end to the violence.
"We call on Syria to bring a stop to the violence immediately and resolve the crisis peacefully, based on international agreement," the Foreign Ministry said.
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