Turkish F-16 fighter jets were scrambled to intercept a Russian war plane that strayed into Turkish airspace on Saturday, the Turkish foreign ministry says.

The Russian jet was intercepted above the Yayladagi/Hatay region of Turkey, and was escorted through Turkish airspace until it exited into Syria.

The Turkish foreign minister has discussed the incident with his Russian counterpart and Nato colleagues.

Last week, Russia launched an aerial bombardment campaign against a variety of rebel groups fighting against President Bashar al-Assad under the guise of attacking the Islamic State (IS).

The US and its allies have called on Russia to halt its campaign of air strikes within Syria, and complain that its targeting of rebel groups such as the Free Syrian Army (FSA) will preclude any future peace deal between the rival factions in the Syrian conflict.