ANKARA
Missile lock-on systems deployed in Syria harassed five Turkish F-16 fighter jets on Tuesday, the second such incident since a Syrian warplane was shot down by F-16 pilots on Sunday after violating Turkey's airspace, according to a statement from Turkish Military headquarters on Tuesday.
The incident occurred when the five Turkish Air Force jets were patrolling the Turkey-Syria border and four Syrian jets approached Turkey's airspace. The Syrian fighter jets left the area without violating Turkish airspace.
Meantime, Syrian ground missile lock-on systems tracked the Turkish jets twelve times for ten minutes as they flew over Turkey's southern Hatay province, added the statement.
Missile lock-on is the guidance system for a missile that can accurately track a target, and a fire-control system that can calculate the required flight path for the missile to intercept the target.
In Sunday's incident, a Syrian fighter jet was shot down near the northwestern Syrian town of Kasab as clashes along the Turkish-Syrian border intensified.
A statement from the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Monday underlined that the Syrian regime did not adhere to the Turkey-Syria border commission meetings protocol, signed May 9, 1971, which bans aircrafts from either side getting any closer than five kilometers to their shared border.
Meanwhile, a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry urged Syria and Turkey to show restraint and not let the situation escalate.
Back in 2012 Syria shot down a Turkish warplane after it reportedly violated Syrian airspace and killed two pilots.
Turkey shot down a Syrian MI-17 attack helicopter last September, saying it made a 2-km incursion into its airspace.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
