Reports came in on Friday that a Turkish fighter jet had crashed over a border area in the Mediterranean between Turkey and Syria. As the day progress it became clear that the jet had been hit and destroyed by a missile fired from inside Syrian airspace.

The incident has displayed the Syrian government's anti-aircraft capabilities, much of which has been provided by Russian arms  and has underlined the almost Cold War-era politics about the escalating tension in Syria.

Turkey has reacted angrily to the shooting and claims that the F-4 Phantom fighter had only fractionally infringed Syrian airspace and has claimed that such violations are "routine." Search for the wreckage and the whereabouts of the two pilots on board will likely be a deciding factor about what actions the Turkish governement takes and has promised to take action against what it views as a unnecessary provocation.

Al Jazeera has an excellent report on how Syria has attempted to play down the incident and the frosty relations between the once close allies due to the violence occurring in Syria:

Of concern to the Syrian government will be Turkey's NATO membership which means that the country can invoke Article 5 of the Treaty which means that it can request that other NATO allies to engage in action against Syria.

The UN has called for calm on both sides but this incident will be another case for action by the international community which is getting increasingly frustrated by escalating violence and Russia's continued blocking of peace initiatives.