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BBC News reports that Russia and Turkey are each offering differing accounts of exactly what it was that brought the plane down. Russia's defense ministry claims the jet crashed after being hit by fire from the ground. Turkey, on the other hand, claims that Turkish F-16s took out the plane for violating Turkish airspace.
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Turkish military officials allege that, in accordance with the rules of engagement, the Russian</span><a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/11/turkey-shoots-warplane-syria-border-151124081519290.html" target="_blank"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">pilots were given a total of ten warnings</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> over a period of five minutes before their plane was shot down. Russian officials, however, claim to have “objective proof” that the plane never strayed into Turkish airspace.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to</span><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/24/us-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey-idUSKBN0TD0IR20151124#WpF771uCOdcwWsWd.97" target="_blank"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Reuters</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, this is the first time since World War II that Russian and NATO planes have been flying combat missions in the same air space, and an incident like this has been feared since Russia began airstrikes against Syria back in September. Though Russian officials claimed that the attacks were aimed at ISIS strongholds, it later became clear that the airstrikes were</span><a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34907983" target="_blank"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">targeted at opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p><p><div data-conversation-spotlight=""></div></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Several news sources are reporting that the Russian fighter plane came down in what is a rebel held area.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to</span><a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/11/turkey-shoots-warplane-syria-border-151124081519290.html" target="_blank"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">ALJAZEERA</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the crash site is near the Antakya Mountains over Yamadi village. It’s an area that has seen a great deal of recent violence;</span><a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34907983" target="_blank"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">BBC News</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> reports that the crash site is in an area where air strikes and clashes on the ground between Syrian government </span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">forces and rebels took place earlier in the day. More than</span><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/24/us-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey-idUSKBN0TD0IR20151124#WpF771uCOdcwWsWd.97" target="_blank"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">1,700 people have reportedly fled</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> the area due to intense fighting that has occurred over the past few days. Reuters reports that</span><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/24/us-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey-idUSKBN0TD0IR20151124#WpF771uCOdcwWsWd.97" target="_blank"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Russian jets have been involved in the conflict</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though both pilots were able to eject from the craft, their status remains unknown; the Russian defense ministry has been quoted saying that</span><a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34907983" target="_blank"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">efforts are underway</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to locate them. According to Reuters,</span><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/24/us-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey-idUSKBN0TD0IR20151124#WpF771uCOdcwWsWd.97" target="_blank"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Turkmen Forces have captured one of the pilots</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and are currently looking for the second.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The downing of the Russian fighter jet comes on the heels of already increasing tensions between Turkey and Russia. Reuters reports that </span><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/24/us-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey-idUSKBN0TD0IR20151124#WpF771uCOdcwWsWd.97" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Turkey had just called for a U.N. Security Council meeting</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> regarding recent attacks on Turkmens in Syria and that the Turkish foreign ministry had summoned the Russian ambassador to “warn him that there would be ‘serious consequences’ if the Russian air force did not immediately stop bombing ‘civilian Turkmen villages’ in Latakia province.”</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At a meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin was quoted by the </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/25/world/europe/turkey-syria-russia-military-plane.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">New York Times</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> saying that the incident would have </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">“serious consequences for Russian-Turkish relations.” President Putin added that the incident was a “stab in the back” to those who would seek to combat terrorism and accused Turkey of aiding the Islamic State by assisting in the sale of its oil reserves. </span></p>
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