Relations between Turkey and Syria have been tense for many years; in the past, there have been armed conflicts between them more than once. The world community does not exclude a serious collision this time as well.
On June 22, 2012, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said that an RF-4E reconnaissance aircraft had been shot down in international airspace, which had disappeared from radar screens the day before. From radar, he disappeared 1.5 hours after takeoff in the Mediterranean airspace near the province of Hatay, located on the border with Syria.
On June 23, 2012, the office of the Turkish Prime Minister announced that the fighter was shot down by the Syrian armed forces. The Syrian side replied that a Turkish fighter jet had invaded Syrian airspace, but it was shot down not intentionally, but as a result of actions to protect sovereignty.
However, according to Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, the Syrian side knew about the upcoming test flight of the Turkish aircraft. According to media reports, the search and rescue operations did not produce any results and the pilots of the downed plane were not found, although shortly before that, the media reported that both pilots were found alive.
As a result, relations between Damascus and Ankara became complicated, and NATO and the EU could not stand aside. The European Union called on Syria to thoroughly investigate the incident. NATO has already condemned the actions of the Syrian military. Ankara demanded compensation and an apology. In its address to the UN Security Council, Turkey regarded the actions of the Syrian military as a threat to peace in the region. She has also drafted economic and other sanctions against Syria, which could contribute to the departure of the current Syrian president.
According to media reports, Turkey has sent additional troops to the border areas with Syria: artillery and tank units, batteries of anti-aircraft missile systems. The stated goal is to prevent possible border violations.
The headlines of Turkish newspapers report that the United States has also sent its batteries of Stinger anti-aircraft missile systems towards Syria, and military helicopters ply near the Syrian border. Nihat Ali Ozcan, a columnist for the Hurriyet Daily newspaper, believes that Turkey's war against Syria has already begun. So far, this is an informational and psychological war aimed at undermining the regime and demoralizing the country.
However, according to the assurances of the Turkish authorities, they are not going to enter into an open conflict and are deploying military equipment in the border areas solely for defense purposes.
