Turkey says its fighters intercepted Russian plane that crossed border

ISTANBUL _ A Russian warplane on a bombing run in Syria entered Turkish airspace Saturday and was intercepted by Turkish Air Force planes, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced Monday.tmpplchld Turkey summoned the Russian ambassador in Ankara, Andrey Gennadiyevic Karlov, on Saturday and warned that if the violation were repeated, the Russian Federation “will be responsible for any undesired incident that may occur.”tmpplchld Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu telephoned his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, to protest and conferred with his U.S., French, Italian and British counterparts.tmpplchld The Foreign Ministry announcement confirmed a McClatchy report Sunday that an incident had taken place, though it provided a slightly different account of the most serious international confrontation in years between the two countries.tmpplchld In a second incident, an unidentified MiG 29 on Sunday harassed two Turkish F-16 fighter jets for more than five minutes during a routine patrol along the Syrian border, the Turkish General Staff said. It said the MiG 29 locked its radar on the two planes for five minutes and 40 seconds.tmpplchld It does not appear that Russia is operating MiG 29’s in Syria, but Syria has two squadrons of the aircraft, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.tmpplchld In a warning directed at both Russia and Syria, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Monday that Turkey will intercept any aircraft violating Turkish airspace.tmpplchld “Our rules of engagement are clear whoever violates our airspace,” he said in a television interview. “The Turkish Armed Forces are clearly instructed. Even if it is a flying bird, it will be intercepted.”tmpplchld Turkey has maintained a buffer zone five miles inside Syria since June 2012, when a Syrian air defense missile shot down a Turkish fighter plane that had strayed into Syrian airspace during a training mission. Under revised rules of engagement put into effect then, the Turkish Air Force evaluates any target coming within five miles of the Turkish border as an enemy and act accordingly. But it is not clear if the MiG 29 flew within that five mile limit.tmpplchld The Foreign Ministry statement suggested that the first incident on Saturday came close to an armed confrontation. It said the Russian plane exited Turkish airspace after it was intercepted by the Turkish jets, raising the prospect that the Russian intervention in Syria could lead to an unintended military confrontation and trigger an even bigger conflict.tmpplchld Russian officials told the Turkish embassy in Moscow the “buzzing” of Turkish territory was due to a navigational error, a Turkish official said in Ankara.tmpplchld British ambassador to Turkey Richard Moore, in a tweet, said the Russian incursion is “reckless and worrying.” He called for Britain and other NATO allies to stand “shoulder to shoulder with Turkey.”tmpplchld The incident occurred Saturday in Al Yamdiyyah, a Syrian village directly on the Turkish border. U.S. and Turkish officials earlier had placed the incident on Friday.tmpplchld A U.S. military official had told McClatchy that the Russian aircraft had violated Turkish airspace by five miles.tmpplchld Turkey has maintained a buffer zone five miles inside Syria since June 2012, when a Syrian air defense missile shot down a Turkish fighter plane that had strayed into Syrian airspace during a training mission. Under revised rules of engagement put into effect then, the Turkish Air Force evaluates any target coming within five miles of the Turkish border as an enemy and act accordingly.tmpplchld But crossing into Turkish airspace risks a direct confrontation, and Turkey is sure to call on its NATO allies for support.tmpplchld Al Yamdiyyah hosts a tent camp for internally displaced Syrians and a hospital, originally run by the French-based Doctors Without Borders. The bomb struck in the village just a few hundred yards from the actual border, wounding several townspeople, local residents said. MSF said the bomb landed 50 yards from the hospital and damaged the building. The hospital was evacuated and no casualties were reported.tmpplchld The town, in a mountainous region of north Latakia province, has been a prime route for smuggling people and goods between Turkey and Syria and reportedly has functioned as a key entry for weapons shipped to Syrian moderates by the U.S.-led Friends of Syria group of Western and Middle Eastern countries.tmpplchld ___tmpplchld (c)2015 McClatchy Washington Bureautmpplchld Visit the McClatchy Washington Bureau at www.mcclatchydc.comtmpplchld Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.tmpplchld