Turkey shoots down Syrian warplane

A Syrian military spokesman says Turkey's armed forces have shot down a Syrian warplane near the border between the two countries, calling the act a "blatant aggression."

The unnamed spokesman was quoted by Syrian state TV saying the plane was downed Sunday in Syrian airspace as it was attacking rebels who have been on the offensive in the coastal province of Latakia. The spokesman said the pilot ejected from the aircraft.

Turkish newspaper Today's Zaman reported Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan said on Sunday that Turkish F-16 fighter jets shot down a Syrian aircraft that reportedly violated Turkish airspace at the two nation's border on Turkey's Hatay province.  

Speaking at a campaign rally on Sunday ahead of March 30 national elections, Erdogan congratulated his military for the shoot down and sent a warning to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, "Our response from now will be heavy if you violate our airspace," Erdogan said.

Turkey is among the main backers of Syrian opposition fighters trying to remove embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad from power.

The downing of the plane came as Syrian government troops were trying try regain a border crossing point with Turkey near the town of Kassab that rebels captured Friday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based monitoring group generally opposed to Assad, told Reuters Sunday that heavy clashes continued for a third day around Kasab, where rebels have seized control of the border crossing, but Assad's forces, who still control the town, have been fighting back, supported by air power.

The Observatory said rebels also launched another attack in Latakia on Sunday in the village of Solas, about 15 miles south of Kasab.

Today's Zaman suggested the move by Ankara may be part of Turkish "government efforts to gain political scores" ahead of the country's key local elections set for March 30. It comes after the Erdogan administration was considering military intervention in Syria to preserve the tomb of the grandfather of the Ottoman Empire's founder, Osman Bey, from violence in the Arab nation, the newspaper reported.

Turkey's local elections mark the start of a critical 15-month voting cycle, with presidential and parliamentary polls also due, and the campaigns on both sides have been peppered with allegations of potential fraud. Erdogan, in office for 11 years, was rocked by anti-government protests last June, rekindled in recent weeks. He is now dealing with a corruption scandal swirling around his inner circle, something he says is orchestrated by opponents.

Al Jazeera and wire services