BREAKING NEWS

Rebels claim to shoot down Russian helicopter in Syria

BEIRUT - A helicopter crashed in the north of Syria's rebel-held Idlib province on Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said, and the pilot was taken from the wreckage.
The Observatory said it could not confirm whether the helicopter was Syrian or Russian.
Images shared on social media purportedly showed a dead body and Russian identity documents taken from the crashed helicopter.
Russian forces are supporting President Bashar Assad in Syria's five-year-old civil war.
The Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The pro-opposition television news outlet Orient News said rebels had shot down a Russian military helicopter, and that the pilot had died.