Turkey shots down two Syrian warplanes over Idlib
Syria's news agency SANA reported that two Syrian aircraft were shot down by the Turkish military over Idlib province. The agency stated that the pilots managed to eject and were not hurt.
Earlier, Turkish TV channels TRT and CNN Turk reported that of a Syrian government aircraft was shot down in the skies over Idlib. The latter claimed that the plane had been shot down by opposition forces controlling the city of Saraqib.
There were also reports on Twitter that a Russian Su-24 had been shot down over Idlib. The Russian Defense Ministry, in turn, said that there were no incidents or casualties in the Armed Forces in Syria.
On the morning of March 1, SANA reported a Turkish drone was shot down near the town of Saraqib, captured by Syrian opposition groups in the middle of this week.
In addition, Damascus decided to close the airspace over Idlib. The Syrian authorities said that any aircraft flying over Idlib would be considered a hostile act against Syria.
The situation in Idlib escalated in February amid mutual attacks by Turkey and Syrian government forces. In late February, Ankara reported that more than 30 Turkish soldiers had been killed in a Syrian army strike, and later carried out a retaliatory attack. The Russian Defense Ministry said that the killed Turkish military were among the terrorist groups that were planning a large-scale offensive.