Anti-Assad fighters claim to have brought down warplane

Rebels in eastern Syria have claimed to have downed a government fighter jet – however, state television said that the plane crashed due to technical difficulties.

The downing of a warplane would be a rare event for the lightly armed rebels.

In recent months the government has begun to use its air power to try to crush the 17-month-old uprising.

State news channel Syria TV yesterday said the plane crashed due to technical problems during a “regular training mission” and a search party was under way. State news agency SANA said the pilot had ejected from the plane before it crashed.

Anti-Assad activists uploaded videos on YouTube, said to be from the town of Mohassen in Syria’s eastern province of Deir al-Zor, showing a warplane streak through the skies amid heavy gunfire. The jet suddenly erupts into flames and begins to swirl, leaving a trail of smoke.

“God is greatest! A MiG fighter jet has been hit in the town of Mohassen,” an activist is heard to shout. There was no indication from the video as to whether the jet had been struck by rebel gunfire or an anti-aircraft missile, though an opposition source working with rebels in the area said the insurgents used anti-aircraft guns to down the jet.

The source said: “It was a Mig-23 brought down by a 14.5mm anti-aircraft gun, the biggest in the rebel arsenal. The plane was flying too low and was within range. We have no information whether the pilot survived.”

Rebels, whose armoury is mostly composed of assault rifles, explosives and rocket-propelled grenades, have said they cannot compete with the army’s air power.

On Sunday, Abdelbaset Sieda, the head of Syria’s main opposition group in exile called for international powers to impose a no-fly zone in border areas to protect civilians, who are coming under increasingly intense attacks by regime warplanes and helicopters.