AFP, REUTERS
Rebels shot down a Syrian combat helicopter while it was bombarding the Damascus neighborhood of Jobar.
State television confirmed a chopper crashed near a mosque in the capital, but gave no further details, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it believed it "was hit while it was being used in fighting nearby," AFP reports.
Several amateur videos posted on Youtube show the helicopter engulfed in flames shortly before hitting the ground, while activists can be heard shouting "Allahu Ackbar" (God is Great).
The crash happens as heavy shelling and fighting between the rebel Free Syrian Army and government troops rage in the east of Damascus, a day after the regime was accused of a new massacre: On Sunday, about 320 bodies --including women and children-- were found in houses and basements in the town of Daraya, southwest of Damascus. Most of them were killed "execution-style" by troops, Reuters reports.