F-16 fighter jets intercept Syrian aircraft

Turkey's two F-16 fighter jets on Wednesday intercepted a Syrian aircraft after Turkish military spotted the plane approaching the Turkish border, said a Turkish military statement. A Syrian SU-24 warplane was spotted during a routine flight along the Gaziantep and Hatay region of the southern Turkish border and two Turkish jets taking off from Incirlik Airbase in Adana province in southern Turkey were diverted to avert the Syrian plane, according to the statement issued by the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces. The Syrian plane returned after the interception, the statement said, adding that the two F-16 fighter jets also have returned to the Incirlik Airbase. Similar incidents have taken place since Turkish jets shot down a Syrian helicopter in September near Hatay as the Syrian chopper reportedly violated the Turkish airspace. Source: XINHUA