MOSCOW — Turkish F-16s shot down a Russian fighter plane near the border with Syria, Anadolu news agency reported, and the Defense Ministry in Moscow confirmed one of its Sukhoi Su-24s had crashed.
The jet went down near the north-western Syrian Turkmen town of Bayirbucak, and the Turkish military said the jet was given 10 warnings in five minutes before being shot down, according to Anadolu.
"A warplane of unknown nationality that breached Turkish airspace over Hatay's Yayladagi region at 9:20 am [0720 GMT] was alerted 10 times in five minutes," it said in a statement quoted by Anadolu, adding that the F-16s' response was in line with the country's rules of engagement.
Syrian rebels claimed that one Russian pilot was killed after his plane was shot down.