Turkey shelled Kurdish fighters in Syria for a third day Monday and a suspected Russian air strike on a hospital left several dead, as violence shook the country ahead of a hoped-for ceasefire.
Ankara and Moscow also traded accusations over their respective roles in Syria, escalating a war of words that has dampened hopes that a proposed cessation of hostilities will take hold this week.
The cross-border Turkish artillery fire, which began on Saturday, comes amid deep concern in Ankara over advances by Kurdish-led forces in Syria's Aleppo province.
Turkey accuses the Kurdish forces of links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), an outlawed movement that waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state.
Following similar fire on Saturday and Sunday, Turkish shelling again hit several parts of Aleppo province on Monday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group.
An AFP journalist on the Turkish border said Turkish howitzers opened fire on Monday afternoon for around 20 minutes from the Akcabaglar region near a border crossing with Syria.
The Observatory said the shelling hit areas including a road west of the town of Tal Rifaat, where the coalition of Kurdish and Arab fighters known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has launched an assault.
The town, only 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the Turkish border, is held by an alliance of mostly Islamist rebels and one of their few remaining bastions in the area.
The shelling killed at least two children in the area on Monday, the Observatory said.
- Warning to Kurds -
The SDF was advancing despite the shelling, it said, and there was heavy fighting inside the western limits of Tal Rifaat.
The SDF has already seized the nearby Minnigh airbase from rebel forces, and severed the road between Tal Rifaat and the key rebel-held town of Azaz on the border with Turkey.
Turkey fears the Kurds will be able to create a contiguous Kurdish territory just across the border in northern Syria.
Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned Monday that Ankara "will not let Azaz fall" to the SDF, adding "the necessary intervention will be made".
The situation is a major headache for Washington, which has backed the Kurds in their battles against the Islamic State group despite the discomfort of fellow NATO member Turkey.
In recent days, Washington warned the Kurds not to "take advantage" of the situation in Aleppo to seize new territory.
Turkey is also a key member of the US-led coalition fighting IS in Syria, and is allowing coalition planes to fly sorties from its Incerlik base.
Ankara's shelling has prompted criticism from Damascus, which has urged the UN Security Council to take action.
Turkey on Monday also denied claims it had sent troops into northern Syria and rejected reports it was planning a ground intervention.
In northwestern Idlib province meanwhile, suspected Russian strikes hit an MSF-supported hospital, the Observatory said.
MSF confirmed the hospital's destruction, without saying who was behind it, and reported at least seven people had been killed, with another eight staff members missing, presumed dead.
It said the dead were five patients, a caretaker and a guard, and added that an unknown number of patients were also missing.
- Hospital in ruins -
Russia began strikes in support of ally President Bashar al-Assad in September.
It says the strikes target the Islamic State group and other "terrorists," but rights groups accuse it of killing a disproportionate number of civilians.
AFP photos of the hospital showed it had partially collapsed in the attack. The surrounding area was strewn with twisted metal, cinderblocks and detritus from the damaged building.
"The destruction of the hospital leaves the local population of around 40,000 people without access to medical services in an active zone of conflict," said MSF Syria operations chief Massimiliano Rebaudengo.
The Observatory also reported 10 civilians, including three children, were killed in suspected Russian strikes in Azaz and an area nearby.
The strikes in Azaz hit by a hospital, the monitor said.
The Russian strikes have allowed government troops to press a major operation in Aleppo that has virtually encircled rebels in the east of Aleppo city, as well as pushing them from much of the region north of the city.
They have angered Turkey, with Davutoglu on Monday issuing Russia a stark warning.
"If Russia continues behaving like a terrorist organisation and forcing civilians to flee, we will deliver an extremely decisive response," he said.
His comments escalated a war of words with Moscow, which earlier criticised Turkey's shelling in Syria as "provocative" and said it backed raising the issue at the UN Security Council.
More than 260,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began with anti-government protests in March 2011.
AFP
Mon Feb 15 2016
An injured Syrian man arriving from northern Syria is carried to Kilis hospital in south-central Turkey on February 15, 2016. - AFP photo / BULENT KILIC
ANALYSIS - What could happen if Trump rejects the US election results
If Trump seems to be losing, the delay could let him claim fraud and undermine confidence in election officials.
Motorcycling - Marquez wins Australian MotoGP after intense battle with Martin
The 31-year-old, third in the championship standings, has now won the Australian MotoGP four times in the premier class.
Prabowo takes up Indonesian presidency, vows to tackle corruption, other issues
Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto on Sunday took over as president of the world's third-largest democracy, vowing to combat internal issues
Nepal's Sherpas deserve more, says teenager who scaled world's 14 tallest peaks
Sherpas are known for climbing skills that make them the backbone of mountain expeditions.
Inside the underground lab in China tasked with solving a physics mystery
China will soon collect neutrino data, aiming to unravel one of particle physics' biggest mysteries.
Millions in Cuba still without power as major outage persists
Millions of Cubans remain without electricity because of a prolonged outage at the main power plants on the island, Anadolu Agency reported.
Surge in Gaza violence increases famine risk, monitor says
About 1.84 million people across the besieged Palestinian enclave are living through high levels of acute food insecurity.
Israel pounds Beirut and Gaza after rockets hit Israel's north
A drone was launched at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's holiday home.
Elon Musk promises to award $1 mil each day to a signer of his petition
He awarded a $1 million check to an attendee of his event in Pennsylvania aimed at rallying supporters behind Donald Trump.
Former special forces commander Prabowo to take up Indonesian presidency
Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto will take over as president of the world's third-largest democracy after sweeping the country's election with policies like free meals for school children
Father of Malaysian Islamic banking, Abdul Halim Ismail passes away
His dedication and pioneering spirit played an important role in shaping the journey of Bank Islam as well as leaving a lasting impact on the development of Malaysia's Islamic finance industry.
Zayn Malik postpones US tour dates after One Direction bandmate Liam Payne's death
Payne, 31, died on Wednesday after falling from a third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires, shocking fans of the boy band.
Why voters in a handful of swing states will decide the US presidential election
The contest will almost certainly be decided by just tens of thousands of voters a tiny fraction of the populace in a handful of states.
INSIGHT - Sudan's war risks 'lost generation' of children
A devastating crisis is unfolding in Sudan, where the most vulnerable members of society children are bearing the brunt of the violence.
Who is Prabowo Subianto, incoming president of Indonesia?
A wealthy ex-general with ties to Indonesia's popular outgoing president and its dictatorial past, looks set to be its next leader.
Trump says he would impose tariffs on China if China went into Taiwan
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he would impose additional tariffs on China if China were to "go into Taiwan,"
Iran's supreme leader says Hamas leader's death will not halt 'Axis of Resistance'
The "Axis of Resistance", built up with years of Iranian support, includes Hamas, the Lebanese Hezbollah group, the Houthi movement in Yemen, and various Shi'ite groups in Iraq and Syria.
Putin says Russia willing to seek compromises between Iran and Israel
Russia is ready to help seek compromises between arch-foes Israel and Iran, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, saying these would be difficult but possible.
What proposals will Russia push at the BRICS summit?
The proposal is also to establish a BRICS reinsurance company to allow uninterrupted shipment of goods and key commodities between members.
Indonesia's free meals plan in the spotlight as Prabowo readies for office
Prabowo calls the programme one of the main drivers of economic growth, eventually set to add an estimated 2.5 million jobs.