Rebels shoot down MiG in Latakia

GAME CHANGER?: The Sham [Levant] Free Men, a FSA-aligned Islamist battalion, claims it downed a MiG fighter Sunday in Latakia province.

Latakia activist Tariq Shaikho told Syria Direct the government pilot shown parachuting from the downed jet died before hitting the ground having been hit by fragments from his own exploding aircraft.

The Syrian Air Force jet was reportedly struck after bombing rebel positions around the village of rebel-held Salma on Jebal Al-Akrad.

The Syrian Human Rights Observatory reported that a rebel group may be holding the pilot captive, but the claim could not be verified.

Opposition and pro-government sources dispute who is gaining ground in the coastal province.

A Syrian army spokesman told Iran’s Press TV that it recaptured the villages of Hambousheyah, al-Ballouta and Sheikh Nabhan Monday while the opposition issued a statement citing its victories and calling on Latakia residents of all sects to support the FSA’s operations. Video courtesy of Omar al-Sham