Turkish army has targeted the Syrian village of Ayn Arus following a mortar attack which hit the town of Akçakale of southeastern province of Urfa on Wednesday afternoon. The mortar bomb which is reported to have been fired from Syrian territory hit a central neighborhood in the town, killing one woman and her four children and wounding around ten other people.

Relatives of casualties marched to the governor’s office after the incident to voice their concern that they have no safety of life for weeks. Police attacked the mass with tear gas to prevent the march, leading to clashes as people responded with stones.

A statement by Prime Minister’s office said that the Turkish military immediately responded to the mortar attack, hitting the located targets in line with the rules of engagement. The PM’s office statement didn’t outline any details about the location of the Turkish strike which –according to reports ANF received- has targeted the village of Ayn Arus which was recently taken over by Turkey-supported Free Syria Army. The statement added that; "Turkey will never leave unanswered such kinds of provocation by the Syrian regime against our national security."

The incident caused tension in Ankara where Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan held an urgent meeting with the Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoðlu and Chief of General Staff Necdet Özel.

The ruling AKP called for general assembly of the Parliament which is expected to take place at around 10:00 on Thursday morning.

In a statement about the incident, Syria's Information Minister Omran Zoabi said that Syria was investigating the source of the mortar bomb. Zoabi conveyed his condolences to the Turkish people, saying his country respected the sovereignty of neighboring countries. The Minister also called on other countries to respect Syria's sovereignty and to control their borders to stop gunmen from entering Syria.