Turkish fighter jets repel Syrian aircraft: military

Turkish fighter jets Thursday repelled a Syrian warplane and military helicopter after officials spotted the aircraft approaching the border, the Turkish military said in a statement.

The statement issued by the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces said that two Turkish F-16 fighter jets were dispatched to the Karbeyaz neighborhood in the southern Hatay province to intercept a Syrian MIG-21 warplane.

It said that the Syrian aircraft returned 3.2 miles left of the Turkish border.

In a separate incident, two F-16 Turkish fighter jets were sent to Nusaybin district of Mardin to intercept a Syrian IL-76 helicopter, said the statement, adding that the helicopter had to turn back 2.5 miles left to the Turkish border.