Russian Military Jet Downed by Turkey

Earlier today, a Turkish F-16 fighter shot down a Russian SU-24 jet near the Turkey - Syria border, as  Turkish military officials claim that the Russian jet violated Turkey's airspace and was repeatedly warned about it. The Russian pilots were able to eject from the plane before it crashed, but there are reports that the pilots had been shot and killed by rebels on the ground. Turkey has called for an urgent meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels today to discuss the incident. Russia has condemned the downing as a "stab in the back" given its role in attacking ISIS targets recently. It remains to be seen how Russia will respond, but have warned of "serious consequences."

What is surprising is that incidents of this kind haven't happened earlier, with several nations flying sorties over both Iraq and Syria, and the close proximity of bordering countries.