Updated on
Summary The Syrian rebels claimed to shoot down a jet in eastern Syria on Monday.
A Syrian fighter jet crashed in eastern Syria on Monday, state television said, hours after rebels said they had brought down a jet in the same area.The official news channel Syria TV said the plane crashed due to technical problems during a regular training mission.The state news agency SANA said the pilot had ejected from the plane and that a search party was underway.However, a video that shows a Syrian government fighter jet bursting into flames while under fire from rebels was posted on the Internet on Monday.The downing of a warplane would be a rare event for lightly armed rebels faced with the superior weaponry of President Bahsar al-Assads forces.In recent months the government has begun to use its air power to try to crush a 17-month-old uprising.The video uploaded on YouTube was filmed by an opposition activist who said he was in the north-eastern town of Mohassen in Syrias Deir al-Zor province. It was not clear when it was filmed and it was not possible to verify the location.The footage shows a warplane streaking through the skies amid heavy gunfire. The jet suddenly erupts into flames and begins to swirl, leaving a trail of smoke.Rebels, whose armoury is made up mostly of assault rifles, explosives and rocket-propelled grenades, say they are unable to compete with the armys air power.In recent weeks, fighter jets have been seen firing rockets on rebel-held villages and the northern city of Aleppo.
