Turkish F-4 shot down by Syria - SANA

Turkish F-4 fighter. Photo: EPA

Syrian air defenses shot down a Turkish F-4 Phantom fighter after its pilot violated Syrian airspace according to a statement released by the country's military government agency SANA.

Earlier the office of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed that the Turkish military aircraft was shot down by Syrian air defenses.

Rescue operations continue in the area of the incident. However the fate of the two pilots remains unknown.

Ankara has not yet decided on what measures should be taken and what position to take on this issue.

The decision will be made after all of the details of the incident are clarified, said the head of the Turkish government.

Turkish F-4 shot down by Syria - Erdogan

The Turkish F-4 Phantom fighter which disappeared from radar screens while flying over the Mediterranean on Friday was shot down by Syrian forces. According to a statement by the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"After reviewing the data collected by the relevant organizations and the information obtained during the search and rescue operation we have concluded that the plane was shot down by Syria," reads the statement.

It also says that Turkey is determined to take necessary measures as soon as details of the incident are clarified.

Meanwhile the search and rescue operation continues.

Earlier, Erdogan said he did not have precise data, whether the fighter jet was shot down by Syria.

Search for Turkish fighter continues

On Friday at about 12:00 PM Moscow time, the Tracking Service of the Turkish Air Force lost radio contact an F-4 fighter that was flying near Syrian territorial waters according to reports by a correspondent for the Voice of Russia.

There are conflicting reports in the media including a version that the plane was shot down by Syria. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had just returned from Brazil, gave an emergency press conference at the Esenboga Airport in the capital and neither confirmed nor refuted reports that the plane was shot down by Syrian air defenses.

"I'm not saying that the plane was shot down by Syria. We currently do not have accurate reports," stated the Prime Minister.

The prime minister said that he also has no information that the Syrian side has already apologized for the incident.

Erdogan noted that more detailed information about the state of emergency will be available after a detailed study of the issue at a special meeting.

A search for pilots, according to the prime minister, is being carried out jointly with the Syrian side.

Source :Moscow Time