Over the weekend Turkey launched the “Operation Spring Shield” military offensive against Russian-backed Syrian forces in the northwest. Turkish Air Force F-16 shot down two Syrian air force SU-24 aircraft and one Aero L-39 Albatros over Idlib.
Syrian Air Defense attempted to shoot down Turkish air force General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet. Syrian S-200 long-range, medium-to-high altitude air defense system fired a missile – but missed – at a Turkish F-16 fighter aircraft.
According to Yusha Yuseef of Muraselon News, Syrian armed forces attempted to shoot down a Turkish fighter aircraft that was participated in an airstrike in Idlib, a de-escalation zone in northwestern Syria.
A missile launch was detected in flight by sensors onboard the F-16, after them Turkish fighters evaded the missile and returned safely to its airspace.
Turkey launched Operation Spring Shield after at least 34 Turkish soldiers were killed and dozens injured in an Assad regime airstrike in Idlib, a de-escalation zone in northwestern Syria, just across Turkey’s southern border. Turkey’s only target during the operation were Assad regime troops and equipment in Idlib under the nation’s right to self-defense, stressed Akar.
Turkish soldiers were killed while working to protect local civilians under a September 2018 deal with Russia, which prohibits acts of aggression in Idlib.
