Syrian Rebels Claim to Have Brought Down a Jet
Source: NYT
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Syrian rebels announced Monday that they had brought down a Syrian fighter jet for the first time, posting a video as what they said was proof, while the United Nations said it had removed a third of its observers in advance of its mandate expiring later this month.
The rebels said they shot down the jet early on Monday in the eastern city of Deir Ezzour, according to activists. A 33 second video released by the Local Coordination Committees, an activist network based in different areas, shows a jet rushing across the screen until it suddenly bursts into flames.
Both developments — three weeks into a ground battle for Aleppo, and as fighting spreads in Damascus, Dara’a and other areas — highlight the conflict’s recent spiral away from diplomacy and toward widening war.
After 17 months, Syria is being defined by confrontation, said General Babacar Gaye, Head of the United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria, with no end in sight.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/14/world/middleeast/syrian-rebels-claim-to-have-brought-down-a-jet.html?smid=tw-nytimes&seid=auto
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