Syrian warplane crashes near Damascus, rebels seize pilot: monitors
Syrian state media said the crash was caused by a technical fault and a search was under way for the pilot, who had ejected.
Insurgents said the plane had been shot down, but did not say what weaponry was used.
A spokesman for Jaish al-Islam rebels, who control territory on the Syrian capital's eastern and northeastern outskirts, circulated a photo they said showed the captured pilot.
Rebels shot down two warplanes earlier this year. The Syrian government said one of them was downed by an anti-aircraft missile, but rebels said they used anti-aircraft guns.
Any confirmation the rebels now have the missile equipment would be a major upgrade in their arsenal. Anti-aircraft missiles have long demanded by foreign-backed rebels against devastating aerial raids by Syrian and Russian forces.
Russia has been a major ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and arms supplier in the country's civil war, now in its sixth year.
Source: reuters.com