From Reuters:  Turkey has returned fire after a mortar bomb shot from Syria landed in a field in southern Turkey.

The exchange came the day after Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, warned Damascus that his country would not shy away from war if provoked.

It was the fourth day of Turkish strikes in retaliation for mortar bombs and shelling by Syrian forces that killed five Turkish civilians further east on Wednesday.

The strikes and counter-strikes are the most serious cross-border violence in Syria’s conflict, which began as a pro-democracy uprising but has evolved into a civil war with sectarian overtones. They highlight how the crisis could destabilise the region. . . .

The Hatay provincial governor’s office said the round fired from Syria on Saturday hit empty land near the village of Guvecci in Yayladagi district, 50 metres inside Turkey, at 7am.

"It is assessed that the shell was fired by Syrian Arab Republic security forces at opposition forces along the border," a statement on its website said.

"There was no loss of life in the incident. The Guvecci border post retaliated in kind with four rounds from 81mm mortars." 

Image: ap%2010%206%2012%20Turkish-military.jpg