Turkey's military shot down two Syrian government fighter jets over northwest Idlib, hours after forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad brought down a Turkish drone over the region.
In a Twitter post on Sunday, Turkey's defence ministry said its forces struck two SU-24 aircraft in response to the downing of the drone.
Syria's SANA news agency confirmed the fighters were hit over Idlib, but said no one was hurt in the attack. The pilots used parachutes and landed safely, it added.
Earlier on Sunday, Turkish and Syrian state-run media offered contradicting reports on the downing of the drone. Turkey's Anadolu news agency said an "Assad regime jet" was hit over Idlib, but Syria's SANA denied it promptly, saying a Turkish drone crashed over the town of Saraqeb.
The Turkish defence ministry's Twitter post is the first confirmation of the downing of the drone. It also said three Syrian air defence systems were destroyed in the retaliatory attack.
Amid the escalating tensions, the Syrian government closed the airspace over Idlib, with one official telling SANA any aircraft "that violates our airspace will be treated as a hostile flight that must be shot down and prevented from achieving its objectives".
Forces loyal to al-Assad, backed by Russian airpower, have renewed an offensive to capture Idlib from opposition forces, who are backed by Turkey.
Since the operation intensified in December, Syrian government forces have rapidly advanced into the last opposition stronghold, retaking the strategic M5 highway and solidifying control over parts of Aleppo province, which borders Idlib. (Al Jazeera website)
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