Turkey scrambles jets after Syrian helicopters near border

Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) said in a statement released on Sunday that four of the jets had scrambled from İncirlik air base in southern Turkey in response to Syrian helicopters flying south of the Turkish province of Hatay, and two more F-16s took off from a base in Batman after Syrian helicopters were spotted close to the border south of the Turkish province of Mardin.

The statement said the jets flew near the border on June 30, 2012, after a Syrian MI-17 helicopter approached within four miles of Turkish airspace, although it remained in Syrian airspace.

The F-16s were dispatched "for the purpose of patrolling the area." The Syrian helicopter was flying just south of Hatay, a province near the Syrian border.

The Turkish jets patrolled the skiles between 9:12 am and 10:30 am.

On the same day, two more F16s were scrambled to the same region, after a Syrian MI-8 helicopter neared four miles to Turkish airspace. This incident was in the afternoon, at 3.05 pm. The Turkish jets stayed in the air until 4.58 pm.

Later in the evening, two F-16s took off from the Batman airspace, after a Syrian MI-8 helicopter neared Turkish airspace. There were no violations of air space, the TSK said.

The military did not report that any direct confrontation had taken place.

The jets were scrambled days after Turkey said it would treat any Syrian military unit approaching its border as a direct threat in response to the downing of a Turkish reconnaissance plane by Syrian forces on June 22.

Turkey has also reinforced its border with anti-aircraft guns and other weapons.