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"Since Thursday, Syria's entire air fleet has been grounded while its spy agencies screen flight personnel for more potential defectors."
Turkey's Today's Zaman headlined "Report: Syria shoots down Turkish warplane."
It published an earlier Reuters report.
Turkey's a NATO member. It could invoke NATO Charter Articles 4 or 5.
Article 4 calls for members to "consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence, or security of any" is threatened.
Article 5 considers an armed attack (real or otherwise) against one or more members, an attack against all, and calls for collective self-defense.
Whether the incident was accidental or provocative remains to be determined. Given ongoing crisis conditions and tense Turkish/Syrian relations, events going forward bear watching.
Wars begin for less.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at Email address removed .
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