Turkey scrambles warplanes as Syrian helicopters stray close to border

Syrian attack helicopters bombarded a suburb of Damascus yesterday and Turkey said it had scrambled six warplanes near the border in the north.

Government forces also continued their assault on Douma, a city on the edge of Damascus where they stormed a rebel stronghold two days ago, leaving bodies rotting in the streets of the nearly abandoned town.

Syrian artillery pounded the village of Talbiseh near Homs, targeting an area near the mosque. Video footage showed a blast hitting the mosque’s slender minaret.

And Ankara scrambled F-16 fighters in response to three incidents of Syrian helicopters approaching the border.