Turkey has responded to Wednesday's Syrian attack, as Turkish artillery has fired on targets in Syria.

On Wednesday, a mortar fire from Syria on the Turkish town of Akcakale, near the Syrian border, killed several civilians including a woman and three children.

Ankara's response marks the first time it has fired into Syria during the 18-month-long unrest there, BBC has noted.

Turkey also asked the UN Security Council to take "necessary action" to stop Syrian "aggression".

According to Turkish media, the government in Ankara is expected to ask the parliament on Thursday to authorise cross-border military operations in Syria.

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described the Syrian attack as "abominable", confirming that Turkish armed forces have responded "in line with their rules of engagement."

"Today's incidents, where firing from Syria struck a Turkish town, again demonstrated how Syria's conflict is threatening not only the security of the Syrian people but increasingly causing harm to its neighbors," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said in a statement.

The top UN official once again called on all conflicting sides in Syria to stop the violence and start negotiations.

Since late July, Syrian rebels have seized control of at least three key border crossings with Turkey and others on the eastern border with Iraq.