Russian Su-24 Shooting Heightens Tension With Turkey

The US government is trying to prevent further encounters between the Russian and Turkish air forces over the border zone between Turkey and Syria.

On 24 November, a Turkish Lockheed Martin F-16 shot down a Russian Sukhoi Su-24, with Ankara claiming that the latter had entered Turkish airspace. The incident between the NATO member and Moscow has created major concern in Washington DC.

Following the incident, Israeli sources suggested that if the Russian strike aircraft had been flown near an "enclave" of Turkey close to the Syrian border then it should have been obvious that its crew had no "bad intentions".

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called Turkey's action "a stab in the back" carried out by the "accomplices of terrorists", and warned that the incident will have "serious consequences" for Moscow's relations with Ankara.

Turkey confirms that the downed Su-24 was engaged by two of its F-16s. It says the aircraft was targeted in line with its rules of engagement, after "violating the country's airspace".

Russia has rejected the Turkish version of events, claiming that its aircraft had not violated Turkish airspace, and had been flying at an altitude of 6,000m (19,700ft).

There have been conflicting reports about the fate of the Su-24's two crew members, who ejected following the engagement. As-yet unconfirmed claims also suggest that a Russian rescue helicopter that was sent to the area was hit by a surface-to-air missile and then destroyed by an anti-tank weapon after making an emergency landing.

Israel is following the situation very closely, as it is also conducting aerial activity over Syria, according to Western sources.

Russian Defense Minister Confirms Jet Shot Down by Turkey

Turkey has shot down a Russian military jet which it says violated its airspace near the Syrian border.

A military official, quoted by Turkey's Dogan news agency, said the plane was shot down by Turkish F16s, and that the pilots were given repeated prior warning.

Video posted by the Haberturk TV station appeared to show the jet coming down in flames, while separate footage showed two pilots parachuting to safety within hostile Syrian territory. Their fate remains unknown.

In a statement, the Russian defence ministry confirmed the jet was one of its SU-24 bombers.

But it denied Turkey's claims that the plane violated its air space, saying Moscow has proof the jet was over Syria "at all times".

And a Russian military official also denied Turkey's claims it brought the plane down with two F16s on regular border patrols - saying it believed the bomber was shot down by artillery fire from the ground.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was briefed by the head of the military, while Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu ordered consultations with NATO, the United Nations and related countries, their respective offices said.

Nato's headquarters in Brussels, already in a tense state of lockdown following the terror threat there, said it would be issuing a statement later on Tuesday.

Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the warplane crashed in the Turkomen Mountains region in the coastal province of Latakia.

Various reports described the plane as coming down in hostile Syrian territory, and broadcaster CNN Turk cited local sources saying one of the pilots was in the hands of Turkmen forces who were searching for the other.

CNN Turk published images purporting to show two pilots parachuting safely to the ground, and reported that two helicopters had been sent from Turkey to try and retrieve them.

The Russian military has sent its own helicopters to search for the pilots on the ground, according to the Dogan news agency.

Source: The Independent Repirt