ANKARA, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Turkish parliament approved a motion for cross-border military operations inside Syria on Thursday in an emergency session.
The motion was passed with 320 votes for and 129 against.
In the motion, the Turkish government said "aggressive action" against its territory by Syria's military had become a serious threat to its national security.
Calling it as "a motion of war," the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) opposed the motion.
A senior advisor to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, AKP deputy Yalcin Akdogan, argued that the motion does not necessarily pave the way for war, saying the opposition's criticism was based on "political" concerns.
"It's not a motion for war. It is a motion designated for future needs," Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay told reporters.
Turkey's priority was to act in coordination with international institutions on Syria, Atalay added.
The motion was drafted at an emergency cabinet meeting late Wednesday, hours after five Turkish citizens were killed and a dozen others wounded in Syrian shelling in the southeastern border town of Akcakale.
The parliamentary session came amid Turkey's retaliatory strikes on Syrian targets, which started on Wednesday and continued through Thursday morning.
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