"This fighting... must stop," Parly told France 3 television on Sunday, January 21, adding that the Turkish offensive could "deter Kurdish forces who are at the side" of the international coalition battling Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria.

Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, called for a United Nations Security Council meeting over "humanitarian risks" as fighting escalates in Syria.

"France is very preoccupied by the situation in Syria and by the brutal degradation of the situation," Le Drian said on the sidelines of a meeting for western Mediterranean countries.

"This is why we have called for a Security Council meeting to evaluate all the humanitarian risks, which are very serious," he added.

Le Drian also spoke to his Turkish counterpart in a telephone call on Sunday morning, his staff said.

Turkish ground troops entered Syria on Sunday to push the offensive against the Kurdish forces in Syria as rocket fire hit a border town in apparent retaliation.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said troops crossed into the Kurdish-controlled region in Syria at 0805 GMT, the Dogan news agency reported.

Reporter’s code: 50101