Syrian special forces reportedly rescue the surviving pilot of the Russian jet downed by Turkey

The second pilot of the Russian Sukhoi Su-24 attack aircraft shot down by Turkish F-16s on Tuesday, November 24, has been rescued by Syrian government forces and evacuated to safety, according to the Lebanese television station Al-Mayadin.

According to the TV network, the Syrian military found the pilot after a six-hour search. The rescue operation itself is said to have taken two hours. Syrian special forces are believed to have infiltrated rebel-controlled territory to retrieve the Russian pilot, who is now reportedly back at Russia's Khmeimim airbase in Syria.

Earlier, Russian defense officials confirmed the death of the Su-24's other pilot. 

On November 24, a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 attack aircraft was shot down in Syria, while conducting airstrikes against terrorist targets near the Turkish border. Turkey says the plane violated its airspace 10 times within a five-minute period, which defense officials in Moscow flatly deny.

Later on November 24, a Russian Mil Mi-8 helicopter was destroyed in Syrian territory controlled by armed militants, claiming the life of a Russian marine. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the helicopter was part of a search-and-rescue effort in the area where a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 attack aircraft was shot down by Turkish jets. The killed Russian marine was a contract soldier, not a conscript.

The helicopter's remaining crew were evacuated from the area and safely transferred to Russia's Khmeimim airbase.