A Turkish tank maneuvers near the southeastern Turkish city of Kilis. (Reuters)

Turkish news agency Anatolia reports that Turkey’s parliament on Thursday authorized military action against Syria following deadly cross-border fire that sent tensions soaring but insisted it was not a war mandate. The vote came as Turkey retaliated for the shelling that killed five Turkish nationals, and Syria apologized and vowed it would not happen again. Anatolia said that the authorization will expire in one year. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay said the parliament’s go-ahead for military action only means that the military can use the mandate if it becomes necessary.