BEIRUT, LEBANON (8:20 A.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) shelling on Thursday of the militant-held town of Sheir Magher in northwestern Hama reportedly the Turkish observation post.

According to the Turkish Ministry of Defense, one Turkish Army soldier was reportedly killed and a few others were wounded when a Syrian military shell hit their positions.

During the evacuation, pro-opposition activists reported that the Turkish forces came under attack once again when Syrian Army shells began hitting the same area in Sheir Magher.

According to a Syrian military source in northwestern Hama, the SAA launched artillery shells towards Sheir Magher after a number of their checkpoints were targeted by military projectiles from the aforementioned town.

Since this latest incident, the Syrian Arab Army has been placed on high alert, as the hostilities inside of northwestern Hama may escalate if the Turkish military chooses to directly respond with military force.

The Turkish Ministry of Defense has vowed to retaliate to these attacks, but should Ankara decide to do this, they will likely strike an area absent of Russian military personnel.