Turkey Shoots Down A Syrian Helicopter

The Turkish-Syrian border remained calm on Tuesday morning (September 17) a day after Turkey shot down a Syrian helicopter that entered Turkish airspace.

Turkey said its warplanes shot down a Syrian helicopter on Monday (September 16) after it crossed into Turkish airspace and the government warned it had taken all necessary measures to defend itself against any further such violations.

Turkey scrambled two F-16 jets along the border between its southern Hatay province and Syria after warning the Mi-17 helicopter it was approaching Turkish airspace shortly before 2:30 p.m. (1130 GMT), the military said in a statement.

Syria called the reaction "hasty" and accused Turkey of trying to escalate tensions along the border.

Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc had said a warplane shot down the helicopter after it ventured up to 2 km (1 miles) into Turkey near the border town of Yayladagi.

It came down in a ball of flames inside Syrian territory after being hit, amateur video footage showed.

Following Syria's downing of a Turkish jet in 2012, Erdogan said the military's rules of engagement had changed and that any Syrian element approaching the border would be deemed a threat and be treated as a military target.

Turkey, one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's fiercest critics, has advocated military intervention in Syria and grown frustrated over what it sees as Western indecisiveness.

Presented by Adam Justice