Syrian rebels claim to have downed warplane

BEIRUT -- Syrian rebels circulated dramatic video yesterday of what they claimed was the downing of a warplane and of armed men holding the captured pilot who ejected as the MiG fighter was engulfed by flames. Syria acknowledged a pilot bailed out of a disabled plane but blamed the crash on a technical malfunction.

The authenticity of the images or the claims could not be verified independently. If the rebels did bring down their first aircraft, it could signal a significant jump in their firepower and give opposition forces their most high-profile military captive.

But wider questions remain, including whether this could be just a one-time blow against expanding air offensives by the forces of Bashar Assad's regime. Just days ago, protesters across Syria pleaded for the rebels' main backers, including Turkey and Gulf states, to send anti-aircraft weapons for outgunned fighters.

Assad's military has significantly stepped up aerial attacks. Strafing from warplanes and close-range missile strikes from helicopter gunships have pushed rebels back in key fronts such as Aleppo, the scene of fierce attacks to dislodge rebel positions.

In another crack in Assad's diplomatic corps, a Syrian diplomat who worked with the UN rights council in Geneva said he has joined the opposition. A council spokesman, Rolando Gomez, identified him as Danny al-Baaj, a junior member of his country's UN mission. Syria is not a member of the 47-nation council, but al-Baaj worked with it as part of his duties.

Activists released a video they say showed a government Soviet-made MiG warplane catching fire after it was hit by ground fire over Deir el-Zour province, an area near the Iraqi border where the opposition has strongholds. Hours later, another video shown on the pan-Arab network Al-Arabiya purported to show the captured pilot surrounded by armed rebels. "Introduce yourself," says another speaker with his back to the camera.