The Turkish army early Saturday returned fire after fresh shelling from Syria hit the border province of Hatay, local officials said.

Syrian warplanes pounded a rebel-held area of Homs on Friday in the heaviest bombardment of the city for months, monitors said, after the UN condemned the army's deadly shelling of a Turkish border town.

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan again warned Syria on Friday it would pay a big price for further attacks, two days after a deadly cross-border shelling.

The UN Security Council strongly condemned Syria over its deadly shelling of a Turkish border town as regime forces pounded the city of Homs on Friday in the most intense bombardment in months, monitors said.

The UN Security Council condemned Syria "in the strongest terms" over its deadly shelling of a border town in Turkey, but Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said there were no plans to go to war.

Turkey hit back with artillery strikes on Syrian targets and lawmakers authorised further military action, though Ankara insisted it was not a war mandate after deadly cross-border fire.

Turkey's parliament on Thursday authorised military action against Syria but insisted it was not a war mandate following deadly cross-border fire that sent tensions soaring.

Turkey's parliament on Thursday authorised military action against Syria but insisted it was not a mandate for war following deadly cross-border fire that sent tensions soaring.

Turkey's parliament on Thursday authorised military action against Syria but insisted it was not a war mandate following deadly cross-border fire that sent tensions soaring.

Turkey hammered Syrian targets on Thursday in reprisal for deadly cross-border fire that sent tensions soaring in the tinder-box region, prompting international calls for restraint.

Turkey resumed pounding Syrian targets early on Thursday, reportedly killing several soldiers, in reprisal for deadly cross-border fire that has sharply escalated tensions in the tinder-box region.

Syria's conflict escalated when deadly cross-border shelling into Turkey drew return fire that continued after dark, as well as sharp condemnation from NATO and major Western powers.

Turkey called on the UN Security Council to take "necessary action" to halt Syrian aggression against its territory after cross-border shelling killed five Turkish civilians.

The United States condemned Syria on Wednesday for the "depraved" shelling of a Turkish border town that left five dead, and said it was closely following the "dangerous" situation.

Turkey shelled Syria on Wednesday in retaliation for cross-border fire that killed five of its nationals, in a sharp escalation of tensions between the neighbours.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton voiced American outrage Wednesday at Syria's shelling of a Turkish border town in which five people died.

Car bombs tore Wednesday through Syria's second city Aleppo, leaving dozens dead, as shells from the conflict crashed into neighbouring Turkey, killing five and prompting an angry Ankara to contact the UN.

Turkey protested angrily to the UN and NATO after Syrian shelling Wednesday killed five people in a town near the border.

Syrian shells killed five people in a Turkish town near the border Wednesday, prompting Ankara to contact the UN over the incident, which it said went "too far."

The killing of five people by Syrian shells that exploded inside a Turkish border town on Wednesday "goes too far," Turkey's deputy prime minister said.