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Turkey calls downing of plane by Syria ‘an act of war’‎

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BEIRUT, LEBANON – Turkey on Sunday summoned its NATO allies for emergency consultations on the downing by Syria of one of its warplanes, a move that potentially opens the door to international military action in the Syrian crisis for the first time.

Turkey said it had invoked Article 4 of the NATO charter, which allows consultations in case of a security threat, after concluding that the plane was over international waters in the Mediterranean Sea when it was hit by a Syrian missile Friday.

Turkey did not cite the much stronger Article 5, in which an attack on one member is considered an attack on all NATO countries and obliges a concerted response.

Investigations into the shooting suggested that it wasn’t a mistake and that Syria was aware it was firing at a Turkish plane when the U.S.-made F-4 fighter was targeted without warning by at least two surface-to-air missiles, Turkish officials said.

“It was an act of war,” Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Selcuk Unal said in a phone interview. “They shot down a plane over international waters, and this is unacceptable.” Turkey sent a diplomatic note to Syria stating that under international law, Turkey “reserves the right to respond,” he added.

In Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called the downing “a brazen and unacceptable act” and said the United States was consulting with its allies and partners regarding “next steps” to be taken against Syria, at a time when a U.N. effort to address the spiraling bloodshed inside Syria through diplomacy is faltering.

Although immediate military action seems unlikely, Turkey’s summons puts the Syrian crisis on NATO’s agenda for the first time, and the development “is very significant,” said Salman Shaikh, director of Brookings Doha Center in Qatar.

“The preferred option for everyone including the United States is still a political solution,” he said. “But whereas a few days ago a military option was not on the cards, now it will be discussed in a way it hasn’t been for the past year and a half. It activates NATO, which we haven’t seen before.”

Ambassadors of the alliance’s 28 member-states will meet in Brussels on Tuesday to hear Turkey’s side.

Star Tribune

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8 responses to “Turkey calls downing of plane by Syria ‘an act of war’‎”

  1. wargame1 Avatar
    wargame1

    Turkey may have patience and do nothing in this situation. The Syrian cockroach want the domestic conflict to spread around the region as he knows that he is going down. Any attack from outside Syria will help Assad mobilize some public support and it also can draw its helper from Iran and Hezbollah officially. But Assad is going to spread the conflict anyway hoping to have some kind of leverage  but nothing is left for him but downfall.

    There was one option for Assad in attacking Israel in order to mobilize support but he would never do it because Iran,Hezbushaitan and this Syrian dog are all in fact pro Israeli and supporting the radical Jewish ideology who are dreaming of the “Land between two rivers” . From the beginning of the Syrian revolution assad never tried to tie the resistance with Israel rather he called it “Foreign conspiracy” “Armed terrorist gang” ” Alqaeda” etc. simply because if he tried to relate the resistance with Israel then all the click trio Iran,Hezbushaitan and Assad regime were forced to act against Israel and the whole game of deception would have exposed. 

    Let us see how he use his last card ” Anti Israeli stance”.  These three satanic element are really the obstacle for the Palestinians to come up with any kind of settlement with Israel. The fundamentalist and radical Israeli want all Palestine and the surrounding area and this click trio help them to gain more land.

    1. mohamedEb Avatar
      mohamedEb

      First of all, EVEN Turkey admitted that its planes were in SYRIAN territories NOT International waters!
      They tried to brush it off by saying “sometimes at high speed it is very normal to “accidentally” enter other’s territories! Imagine if they tried this shit to Russia/Iran/… I don’t think Turkey would try to play “big boy”!

      Second of all, your answer is partly correct! It is a wellknown fact that the Assad regime sits very comfortable in the eyes of the Israelis, since 1973 Syria has NEVER EVER posed a threat to Israel!!!
      HOWEVER (!!!) Israel bombed Syria’s nuclear facility and chose NOT to retaliate, even though it was a clear act of war!!! No doubt about that! Syria has lost my respect to “fight back the enemy”!

  2. wargame1 Avatar
    wargame1

    Turkey may have patience and do nothing in this situation. The Syrian cockroach want the domestic conflict to spread around the region as he knows that he is going down. Any attack from outside Syria will help Assad mobilize some public support and it also can draw its helper from Iran and Hezbollah officially. But Assad is going to spread the conflict anyway hoping to have some kind of leverage  but nothing is left for him but downfall.

    There was one option for Assad in attacking Israel in order to mobilize support but he would never do it because Iran,Hezbushaitan and this Syrian dog are all in fact pro Israeli. From the beginning of the Syrian revolution assad never tried to tie the resistance with Israel rather he called it “Foreign conspiracy” “Armed terrorist gang” ” Alqaeda” etc. simply because if he tried to relate the resistance with Israel then all the click trio Iran,Hezbushaitan and Assad regime were forced to act against Israel and the whole game of deception would have exposed. 

    Let us see how he use his last card ” Anti Israeli stance”.  These three satanic element are really the obstacle for the Palestinians to come up with any kind of settlement with Israel. The fundamentalist and radical Israeli want all Palestine and the surrounding area and this click trio help them to gain more land. 

    1. mohamedEb Avatar
      mohamedEb

      First of all, EVEN Turkey admitted that its planes were in SYRIAN territories NOT International waters!
      They tried to brush it off by saying “sometimes at high speed it is very normal to “accidentally” enter other’s territories! Imagine if they tried this shit to Russia/Iran/… I don’t think Turkey would try to play “big boy”!

      Second of all, your answer is partly correct! It is a wellknown fact that the Assad regime sits very comfortable in the eyes of the Israelis, since 1973 Syria has NEVER EVER posed a threat to Israel!!!
      HOWEVER (!!!) Israel bombed Syria’s nuclear facility and chose NOT to retaliate, even though it was a clear act of war!!! No doubt about that! Syria has lost my respect to “fight back the enemy”!

  3. MekensehParty Avatar
    MekensehParty

    Hah, the Turcs? let me laugh!
    Let’s see what they will do. Probably nothing.
    Their abdelnasser (erdogan) and his little foreign minister davutoglu have been talking talking but did nothing other than prove that Turkey is “festo’ fadeh” (translation: they’re very minor players)
    I laugh at all who hailed turkey as the big power in the ME, their role pre-arab spring in backing Iran and Syria, and all their barking about that ship where 2 of their citizens were killed by israeli commandos.
    Now their ARMY was hit, a jet with the turkish flag has been downed, both crew probably dead…
    Let’s hear what they have to say… but most importantly what will they do!

  4. MekensehParty Avatar
    MekensehParty

    Hah, the Turcs? let me laugh!
    Let’s see what they will do. Probably nothing.
    Their abdelnasser (erdogan) and his little foreign minister davutoglu have been talking talking but did nothing other than prove that Turkey is “festo’ fadeh” (translation: they’re very minor players)
    I laugh at all who hailed turkey as the big power in the ME, their role pre-arab spring in backing Iran and Syria, and all their barking about that ship where 2 of their citizens were killed by israeli commandos.
    Now their ARMY was hit, a jet with the turkish flag has been downed, both crew probably dead…
    Let’s hear what they have to say… but most importantly what will they do!

  5. Fauzia45 Avatar
    Fauzia45

    t!hey are indeed using all their cards,but not many are left!

  6. Fauzia45 Avatar
    Fauzia45

    t!hey are indeed using all their cards,but not many are left!

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