The UN Security Council has condemned the Syrian attack of a Turkish village on Thursday, which killed five civilians, all of whom were women and children.
A UN statement said that the attack “underscored that this incident highlighted the grave impact the crisis in Syria has on the security of its neighbours and on regional peace and stability.”
An earlier draft mentioned that the attack posed "a threat to international peace and security", however this was blocked by Russia.
Turkey’s parliament has authorised attacks against Syria and is shelling their southern neighbour for a second day.
Syria apologised for the attack, however Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that its determination to defend its citizens and territory “should not be tested”.
"We want peace and security and nothing else. We could never be interested in something like starting a war."
"The Turkish Republic is a state capable of defending its citizens and borders. Nobody should try and test our determination on this subject."
Ban Ki-moon and other leaders urged Turkey to exercise restraint and avoid further escalation.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague echoed the calls for restraint, along with Germany, the EU and China.
"We express our strong solidarity with Turkey but we don’t want to see a continuing escalation of this incident,” said Hague.
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