BREAKING: Turkey Downs Russian Warplane North of Syria

A Russian Su-24 warplane was shot down nearby the Syria-Turkey border the morning of November 24, 2015, according to the BBC News Service. In a letter to the UN Security council and Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, Turkey's UN Ambassador Halit Cevik claimed two warplanes violated Turkish national airspace and were warned 10 times in five minutes to exit, Reuters reports.

One of the two planes exited the airspace. "Plane two crashed onto the Syria side of the Turkish-Syrian border," he stated.

U.S. Service members stand by a Patriot missile battery in Gaziantep, Turkey, Feb. 4, 2013, during a visit from U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter, not shown. U.S. and NATO Patriot missile batteries and personnel deployed to Turkey in support of NATO's commitment to defending Turkey's security during a period of regional instability. February 2013.

By contrast, Russian President Vladimir Putin claims the two planes were at least one mile inside Syrian airspace. The Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement indicating increased defensive measures within Russian airspace, and officially discontinuing military contact with Turkey.

The international community responded cautiously to the issue. While NATO and the United States defended Turkey's version, President Hollande of France warned that continued Turkish-Russian escalation could negatively impact the fight against ISIS.

"What took place means that we must find a solution to the Syrian crisis, otherwise there are risks of escalation," Hollande commented in a televised statement.

This report draws heavily from Josephine McDermott and Thom Poole's live reporting of the escalation for BBC News Service. To access the live report, please click here.

For continued, weekly coverage of the Syrian civil war, ISIS, Russian/Turkish involvement, and many more relevant issues, please see our Middle East and North Africa Section. 

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