Special to WorldTribune.com

ANKARA — Turkey has reported that Syria was harassing the NATO air
force.

Officials said the Turkish Air Force has been tracked in its missions
near the Syrian border. They said the regime of President Bashar Assad has
employed air defense systems that threaten Turkish air reconnaissance
missions.

On Nov. 16, the Turkish General Staff reported that Syrian air defense systems imposed a radar lock on Turkish fighter-jets. The military said in a statement that Syria locked on to three F-16 multi-role fighters that took off from the Turkish Air Force bases at Incirlik and Merizfon.

“They were each put under a radar lock for 10 seconds by the Syrian systems,” the statement said.

A radar lock enables air defense batteries to target an aircraft with an interceptor. The Turkish military did not report any Syrian fire.

This marked the first report of Syrian air defense operations against
Ankara since the downing of a Turkish F-4 fighter-jet over the Mediterranean
Sea in 2012. In September 2013, the Turkish Air Force shot down a Syrian
military helicopter after it entered Turkish air space.

Western diplomatic sources said Syria has enhanced its air defense
network with new assets as well as Russian operators. They said Russia has
deterred the entry of Israeli and U.S. aircraft, including unmanned aerial
vehicles, in Syria.

  Bashar Assad, Incirlik, Merizfon, Syria said to put ‘radar lock’ on Turkish F-16s near border, Turkish Air Force