MiG-21 warplane downed in Idlib northern countryside

Ahrar al-Sham, an opposition group, said that the warplane was downed after it was targeted with heavy machine guns, causing a failure in its engine.

The Turkish Daily Sabah newspaper reported citing the governor of Hatay province in southern Turkey Erdal Ata that debris of the warplane were found near the Turkish border with Syria.

The pilot apparently had ejected, the governor added.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim also confirmed that a crash was reported.

"Reportedly, a Syrian regime plane crashed around Hatay’s Samandag Yaylacik region," he said

Yildirim said it was not clear yet whether the plane crashed on Turkish or Syrian soil.

Search and rescue operations were initiated in the region, the governor added.

The MiG-21 warplane was carrying airstrikes on residential neighborhoods of Maaret Mesreen city in Idlib countryside before it was downed.