Turkey vows action against Syria for downing jet

Suzan Fraser - The Associated Press

AP Photo/File
In this April 29, 2010 file photo, a Turkish pilot salutes before take-off at an air base in Konya, Turkey. Turkish President Abdullah Gul said Saturday June 23, 2012, his country would take "necessary" action against Syria for the downing of a Turkish military jet, but suggested that the aircraft may have unintentionally violated the Syrian airspace. The plane went down in the Mediterranean Sea about 8 miles (13 kilometers) away from the Syrian town of Latakia, Turkey said.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Syria said Saturday it shot down a Turkish reconnaissance plane because the plane entered its airspace, insisting it was "not an attack" as both sides desperately tried to de-escalate the episode before it exploded into a regional conflagration.

Turkey threatened to retaliate but did not say what action it would take as it searched for the aircraft's two missing pilots.

The downed plane heightened tensions between two countries that had been allies before Syria's 15-month violent uprising, and signaled that the violence gripping Syria is increasingly bleeding outside its borders. Germany and Iraq were among the countries urging restraint in the region.

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June 23, 2012

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Saturday, May 18, 2013 Last Update: 7:00 PM ET