ANKARA—Search parties from Turkey and Syria are looking for a Turkish war plane that was shot down earlier Friday. Turkey said that Syrian forces shot down a Turkish fighter jet, with official Damascus reportedly apologizing for the incident.
Turkish press sources said it was unclear exactly how or where the incident occurred, but according to statements, the military’s contact with the Turkish F-4 aircraft was lost at 11:58 a.m. local time, over the sea just off the southwest of the Hatay province, bordering Syria. The plane had taken off from the Erhac airbase in Malatya, at 10 a.m., according to Hurriyet Daily News.
Unconfirmed reports indicated that the plane was on a reconnaissance mission over Syria.
It was also not clear what purpose the Turkish jet was serving in that region, but there are unconfirmed reports that it was carrying out a reconnaissance flight. It is not known whether the plane was shot down by a Syrian jet or by a surface to air missile.
“I cannot say that it was shot down. I can’t say it before obtaining concrete information,” said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a press conference before convening a high level security summit called after the reported incident.
According to Hurriyet, the Turkish military launched a broad search and rescue operation to find the plane. The two pilots who ejected themselves reportedly have been found.
Sources also told Hurriyet that Syria had dispatched three guard boats to contribute to Turkish efforts, as the search was taking place in Syrian territorial waters.
Testament that the turkish armed forces aren’t as elite and tough as they sound. LMAO
Welcome to Syria! This is not Northern Iraq or Norther Cyprus. One wants to act like a super power in the region well, one has to live with the results. What is Turkey doing in the sovereign airspace of another country? Who gave them the right to do as they pease?
Great job Syria viva Syria
Stupid turks,reconnaissance my foot,they were caught by the Syrians,nosing around,their territory.The turks are known to be the biggest liars.sliplip erdogots knew it all along.Chalk one up for the Syrians
Reconnaissance mission over Syria? Entering Syrias aerospace and violating it’s Iaws? Is it a mistake or a spying mission to test Syria’s air defense capabilities in preparation for another NATO/Israeli plot against Syria?
This is Turkish ploy to oblige Nato backing to invade Syria or to engage into a long lasting conflict that can greatly help Turkey financially
Gul says that it is not unusual that fighter jets enter the territorial spaces of other countries.
Mr. Gul should be well aware that his country has “violated” the Syrian territorial and maritime space in violation of the U.N. charter. It is Turkey who should apologize to Syria and not vice versa.
Turkey would have done exactly the same had a Syrian jet violated the Turkish airspace.
This instigation by Turkey was well calculated to obtain this exact response from Syria in an attempt to escalate the already tense situation between the two countries. Now Turkey will ask the NATO countries for mutual assistance clause.
It was very clear in Mexico that Putin will not accept any changes in Syria by his cold Putinesque look on his face. Russia can not afford losing Syria because the next domino to fall after Syria is Hezbollah and finally Iran. This will change the balance of powers in the Middle East forever. Obama along with Erdogan and the Saudi King are playing with fire. If the U.S. and Turkey are keen in having democracy in the Middle East they should first start with Saudi Arabia in allowing women to drive and allowing parliamentary elections in the Kingdom and allowing Christians to build their churches in Saudi Arabia. If the United States is interested in having human rights restored in the Middle East they should tell Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide, allow Kurds to restore their minority rights and leave its occupying forces from Cyprus.
upon orders and working for warmongering Neocons, Turks sacrificed an ancient Phantom jet to test the Syrian air defenses. To the chagrin of Neocons, Syrians passed with flying colors.
Obviously, Western Neocon warmongers are planning an air campaign against against Syria, ala Yugoslavia or Libya – with or without UN approval. Their ground terror campaign against Syria has not worked too well so far, so they are going to up the ante. Even massacring hundreds at Houla and trying to pin in on Assad did not work: German newspapers convincingly demonstrated that so-called Syrian opposition carried out the massacre.
Not being satisfied destroying the Christian communities in Iraq, warmongers are planning to do the same in Syria. Their Anti Christian hatred is simply nauseating. If a Dictator lets Christians live in peace in a nominally Muslim country, then he has to be taken out. But Saudi Arabia’s dictators are safe, because there are no Christians in Saudi Arabia.
Note to Armenians everywhere: observe the methods of Neocon terrorists, and remember it well next time you are tempted to be their unwitting helper when they try the same, again, in South Caucasus.
I totally agree. I’m wondering what is this hatred by the neocons towards the Christians in the Near East?
Good points made here Avery, which shows how hypocritical our government in the US is since they have become influenced by an evil entity disguised as “mainstream” or “democracy”. “Republican” or “Democrat” does not mean anything any more. It is merely a trick to numb all the dupes who eagerly watch “mainstream news” and think that’s what fairness and democracy is all about.
What was a turkish military aircraft doing over Syrian Territorial waters anyway? were they really expecting that Syria behave like Iraqi Kurdistan? Syria is a regional power and is not alone.
So what,? This provocation was well calculated by neo ottomans in Ankara and Russia did act correctly- Well down Russia!! Syria simply did fire the rockets too warren Turkey! NOW, all of sudden (powerful) Chicken Turkey is calling NATO for help- no surprise! Turkey can only bombe Kurdish villages in north Iraq—-
Criminal Turkey almost every day is bombing northern Iraq- using different pretexts- who care s? !
Turkey is trying to involve Nato to cover up it’s past Crimes and mistakes. I’m wondering how Nato has accepted Genocidal Turkey into it’s own ranks! This shows the Character and Morality of today’s alliance. Nato has to kick out Turkey from the alliance. Turkey has more than One and Half million innocent Genocide victims’ blood in it’s own hands. This will stain the name of the Nato alliance. Better off without turkey.
I think that this F-4 may have been modified to be a drone essentially flown by remote control and allowed to crash or be shot down. A new gulf of Tonkin incident. The Turks have a dream to re-establish an ottoman empire. I hope that the hayastansis wake up and stop being eager to open up the border with Turkey because we will have economic genocide and cultural genocide. This is the new strategy of the Turks.
Syria is politically incorrect if the reported information from different sources are evaluated with no bias