Turkey said on Monday Syrian forces had fired towards a Turkish military transport plane involved in a search for an F-4 reconnaissance jet shot down by Syria last week, but the second aircraft was not brought down. Damascus described its shooting down of the F-4 jet on Friday as an act of self-defence and warned Ankara and its Nato allies against any retaliation. Turkey said the incident would "not go unpunished" but it did not intend to go to war over it.
The disclosure of the second incident came on the eve of a Nato crisis meeting that Turkey summoned to address the shooting down of its F-4 jet, which Ankara has described as an unprovoked attack in international airspace. In shell-shattered districts of Homs, the heart of a 16-month-old revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, rebels battled troops as aid workers tried to evacuate civilians. Turkish television reported the desertion of a Syrian general and other officers across the border.
Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc told a news conference that Turkey would protect itself within the framework of international law against what it called Syria's "hostile action" of downing its F-4 warplane last week. Arinc said at the end of a seven-hour cabinet meeting dealing with the incident: "Everyone should know that this kind of action will not remain unpunished."
Arinc said that shortly after the F-4 was shot down, four helicopters and two ships were dispatched on an initial search operation, followed by a military turboprop transport aircraft. "Our plane, which had gone to rescue (the pilots), was fired upon. This situation was brought to an end following a warning from our foreign ministry. But yes, there was a short period of harassing fire," said Arinc.
A foreign ministry official later said the plane returned to Turkish airspace immediately after being fired on and the search and rescue operation resumed following communications "through military and diplomatic channels". He said there were no injuries to anyone aboard the transport aircraft. According to Ankara's account of Friday's episode, the aircraft entered Syrian airspace briefly and by mistake while on a mission to test Turkish air defences.
Some analysts have suggested it might in fact have been testing the responsiveness of Russian-supplied Syrian radar that could pose a major obstacle to any foreign intervention, including supply of Syrian rebels or reconnaissance support. Arinc said Syrian air "elements" had violated Turkish air space five times "recently" but that the incidents had been settled peacefully.
Syria's account of Friday's incident, though tempered with a stated commitment to a "neighbourly relationship", seemed likely to increase anger in Turkey ahead of the Nato gathering. Turkey says the wreckage of the aircraft, shot down close to the Mediterranean maritime borders of both states, is lying in deep water. Makdissi said some flotsam had been found and given to Turkey. There was no word on the two airmen.
Turkish air force chiefs briefed President Abdullah Gul, the armed forces chief, and the cabinet on what Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said would be a "decisive" response. Turkey also said it would take the matter to the UN Security Council. The United States said it would work with Nato ally Turkey to hold Syria accountable for what US officials believe was a deliberate act of shooting down the Turkish jet.
White House spokesman Jay Carney side-stepped questions about what an appropriate response might be to the incident, but officials at a US Defence Department briefing said they believed the downing was deliberate. Pentagon spokesman George Little said the "Syrian regime needs to answer for it. This once again shows the illegitimacy of the Assad regime and what it's doing and is deeply troubling."
Erdogan turned against former ally Assad after he rebuffed his advice to bow to demands for reform. He now allows the rebel Free Syrian Army to use Turkish territory as a safe haven, though Ankara denies supplying arms to the FSA. Over 30,000 refugees are also accommodated On Turkish soil. After Friday's attack, Erdogan invoked an article in Nato's founding treaty providing for urgent consultations if a member considers its security interests threatened.