Second Syrian government helicopter is shot down over Idlib in four days
- Syrian National Coalition shared footage of a burning helicopter crashing today
- The rebels claimed that the Assad regime’s helicopter had been bombing homes
- Rebels shot down another helicopter on Tuesday, killing its two crew members
A Syrian government helicopter has been shot down in Idlib for the second time in four days, opposition forces said today.
The Syrian National Coalition shared footage of a burning helicopter crashing to the ground as they announced the aircraft had been shot down.
The rebels claimed that the Assad regime’s helicopter had been bombing civilian homes.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported the shoot-down and said the crew members on board had been killed.
The war monitor said the helicopter had crashed in the countryside in the north-west of the country.
This footage was published by Syria’s opposition forces today as they announced that they had shot down a helicopter belonging to the Assad regime
On Tuesday, rebels shot down a helicopter in the same region, killing the two crew members on board in a fiery crash.
Syrian troops have been on the offensive for weeks in Idlib province, which is the last stronghold of the anti-Assad rebels.
Assad’s forces are now securing areas along a key highway they seized from jihadists and allied rebels this week.
On Friday, they pushed west of the M5 motorway which connects Syria’s four largest cities and is economically vital for the government.
In an attempt to consolidate a ‘security belt’ around the road, they seized a key base on Friday that they had lost to rebels in 2012, the Observatory said.
The Russian-backed offensive has triggered the largest wave of displacement in the nine-year conflict, with 800,000 people fleeing since December, according to the United Nations.
Tuesday’s attack came a day after five Turkish soldiers were killed in a government attack – prompting Ankara to retaliate with strikes on 115 government positions.
A second Syrian government helicopter has been shot down in four days (the first of the two, on Tuesday, is pictured)