Syrian Civil War: rebels claim to have shot down government warplane wit...

by JewishNewsOne

A Deputy Commander of the Free Syrian Army has confirmed the rebels shot down a government warplane in northern Syria using an anti-aircraft missile taken from plundered Syrian government supplies.



The announcement came just a day after amateur video showed Syrian rebel troops shooting down a military helicopter over the city of Daret Ezzeh, near Aleppo.



Meanwhile, at least 56 people have been confirmed dead and scores injured after four explosions rocked a suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus. The suburb, Jaramana is dominated by Christians and Druze, and has witnessed a series of explosions over the past several months, indicating growing sectarian rivalries in the country, which has been engulfed by a bloody, 20-month crisis.



Opposition activists say 40,000 people have been killed in the revolt against the rule of Bashar al-Assad, which started out as peaceful protests only to descend into full civil war.



The crisis has divided the international community over whether to intervene, with some advocating arming rebel groups.



For NATO, the most immediate question is whether to deploy Patriot surface-to-air missiles near Turkey's border with Syria to defend against missiles that Turkish officials worry could carry chemical weapons.