Syrian air defences had to react immediately to a Turkish jet flying at 100 metres altitude inside Syrian airspace in what was 'a clear breach of Syrian sovereignty', Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi said on Monday.

'Syria reacted to the breach,' he told a news conference about the incident on Friday. 'We had to react immediately, even if the plane was Syrian we would have shot it down,' he added.

Makdissi said the jet -- a Turkish airforce F4 Phantom -- was shot down by anti-aircraft fire, not by a radar-guided missile. Despite the incident Syria remains committed to a 'neighbourly relationship' with Turkey, Makdissi said. – Reuters