Syrian troops said Friday they had thwarted an infiltration attempt by armed groups from neighbouring Turkey, while rebels downed a helicopter gunship on the outskirts of the capital. "The rebels have downed a helicopter equipped with missiles in the Sibka town in the eastern Ghotta region," Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told dpa by phone.
The observatory, in an Arabic statement, said it was a jet that the rebels had downed. It was not clear whether the four officers on board were killed or taken hostages, the opposition group said. Rebels also claimed they had seized an air defence base with a cache of missiles in the Ghotta area. A video posted on YouTube showed dozens of rebels dressed in army fatigues celebrating as black smoke billowed from a military building behind them.
They also said they captured an officer from the elite Republican Guard, who identified himself in video footage as Colonel Ahmad Reaidi. Meanwhile, activists based in Damascus said Friday's death toll in Syria had reached 70, mainly in the central province of Homs. They said that troops mounted the heaviest bombardment in months seen in Homs.
Jet fighters hit the rebel-held Khalidiyeh district in Homs, killing at least 10 people and wounding 20, activists told dpa. Omar Tilawi, an activist based inside the province, said around 800 civilians were trapped due to the heavy pounding of the old quarter of Homs.
Homs, Syria's third-largest city, has been one of the key flashpoints of the 19-month uprising against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. However, in the past two months, the focus of the conflict has shifted to the northern city of Aleppo, where rebels last week announced a "decisive battle" against al-Assad's troops.
Earlier, state-run television said that the armed groups were trying to sneak into the Syrian border town of Khirbet al-Jous. "The Syrian troops confronted and killed most of the infiltrators, many of whom were foreigners, including a Turkish citizen," reported the broadcaster.
The Turkish parliament Thursday approved a government request to carry out a possible military operation inside Syria. Turkey this week shelled targets inside Syria in retaliation for a Wednesday mortar attack into Turkey, which killed five Turkish civilians.
Activists based in the Turkish-Syrian border area said that Turkey Friday reinforced its military presence and tanks were positioned in several strategic hilltops near the Syrian border. Syria denied it has apologised to Turkey for Wednesday's deadly shelling. State media said Damascus was not certain about the identity of those who carried out the attack.
That denial was in response to remarks by Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay, who said that Syria has apologised to his country via the United Nations. News from Syria cannot be verified, as authorities bar most foreign media from entering areas in the country that are experiencing fighting.
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