Russian Warplane Shot Down on Turkey-Syria Border (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Turkish military aircraft shot down a Russian jet Tuesday after it allegedly violated Turkey’s airspace near the border with Syria, Turkish media and news agencies reported.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the country's Su-24 was downed over Turkey near the Syrian border, the Associated Press reported from Moscow, citing also other agencies.
Citing unnamed military sources, Turkey’s Dogan News agency claimed the aircraft was downed because of a “border breach.” The news outlet said local witnesses observed pilots parachuting from the attacked warplane.
In addition to Russia, Syrian warplanes and aircraft from a US-led coalition are mounting separate air bombardments across the war-torn country.
Last month, Turkey’s military downed an unmanned aerial vehicle near the border with Syria that military analysts said appeared to be of a Russian made. Officials in Moscow denied connection to that downed aircraft and sent a delegation to Turkey to smooth over concerns.
Turkey, an opponent of the Assad government, has accused Russian warplanes of deliberately violating its airspace.
In September, Russia began targeting terrorist groups in war-torn Syria with airstrikes.
Russia issued a formal apology to Turkey in early October when a jet violated Turkish airspace and Turkish F-16s were scrambled to intercept the plane. The Russians called the mistake “a navigational error.”