After artillery shells from Syria killed five people in Turkey on Wednesday, Turkey immediately attacked targets in Syria in retaliation, raising fears that the Syrian crisis may escalate into a region-wide war. So far, Turkish military response was limited, reflecting Ankara's reluctance to plunge into a war with its troubled neighbor.
Turkish government officials scrambled late Wednesday to evaluate the incident, with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan cancelling his regular schedule and holding urgent meetings with senior
cabinet members and military advisors. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
has separately called UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, NATO Secretary General
Anders Fogh Rasmussen and the UN-Arab League joint special envoy for Syria Lakhdar
Brahimi to brief them about the incident.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay described the Syrian shelling as an "open provocation" that aimed to pull Turkey into a war against Syria. Metehan Demir, commentator from Hurriyet daily, said the attack was not a random one but rather a deliberate attempt by Syria. "If the mortar shell landed in a crowded downtown residential area, this could not be interpreted as a bomb gone astray. Some people are giving
an open message to lure Turkey into a war," he said. Some analysts said the shelling
from Syria could be a warning against the "Morsi-Erdogan Duo."
During a one-day visit to Turkey on Sunday, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi said Cairo and Ankara
agreed on many issues, such as the Syrian crisis and the Palestinian issue. Since
both Turkey and Egypt have openly called for the departure of Syrian president
Bashar al-Assad from power, "the meaning of mortar bombs from Syria is that Damascus
said, 'I got your message on Sunday, and here is my response to it,'" said Turkish
analyst Emre Uslu.
Turkish government spokesperson and Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said Turkey is bound to respond to such provocation by the Syrian side. "This was the last drop of water that made the vase overflow.
We will respond," Arinc said. "Our armed forces on border region have given the
required response in line with the rule of engagements. Targets in Syria , which
were detected by radar, were shot by shelling," Turkish prime ministry said in
a statement.
So far, Turkish military response was limited, as Turkey does not want to escalate the situation and destabilize its southern provinces. Turkish military has raised the alert level along the Turkish-Syrian border to maximum. After the Syrian shelling that killed five Turkish people and wounded 13 others, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged Syria to respect territorial integrity of its neighbors and end violence against the Syrians, calling on both Turkey and Syria to keep communication channels open. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the spread of violence across the Turkey-Syria border is "a very, very dangerous situation."
Turkey has beefed up its troop presence and air defenses along the almost 900-kilometer border after Syria shot down a Turkish reconnaissance jet in June.
