UPDATED: Georgian leader says Russian tanks enter Georgia

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has accused Russia of making an incursion into Georgian territory, saying heavy Russian armour was rolling into the breakaway region of South Ossetia.

"One hundred fifty Russian tanks, armoured personnel carriers and other vehicles have entered South Ossetia," he told a news briefing. "This is a clear intrusion on another country's territory. We have Russian tanks on our territory, jets on our territory in broad daylight."

"I must also tell you that Georgian forces have downed two Russian jet fighters over Georgia's territory," he added without giving further details. Georgian President MikhailSaakashvili said in a television interview on Friday that

Speaking later to CNN, the Georgian President said Russia was fighting a war with his country.

"Russia is fighting a war with us in our own territory."

Saakashvili also said it was in the United States' interest to help his country.

"It's not about Georgia anymore. It's about America, its values," he said. "We are a freedom-loving nation that is right now under attack."