Nov 24, 2015, 09:24 PM
Source:
https://news.sky.com/story/1593378/russi...ve-updates
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- Video footage of the incident showed a warplane on fire before crashing on a hill after two crew members deployed their parachutes. Reuters reports that activists say the plane crashed in a mountainous part of Syria's Latakia province, where government forces have been fighting insurgents. A Syrian rebel group says one pilot died. The fate of the other is unclear.
- A Turkish military statement said the plane entered Turkish airspace over the town of Yayladagi, in Hatay province. "Two F-16 planes on aerial patrol duty in the area intervened against the plane in question in accordance with the rules of engagement at 9:24am," the statement said, adding that the plane had been warned 10 times in the space of five minutes.
- Russian authorities say the plane was one of dozens flying sorties as part of the country's bombing campaign in Syria, reports the Washington Post, which notes that since Turkey is a NATO member, the downing of the jet is bound to increase friction between Moscow and the West. It's the first time since the 1950s that a NATO member has downed a Russian or Soviet aircraft, notes Reuters.