Syrian confirms downing of warplane by surface-to-air missile in Aleppo

The Syrian army has confirmed the downing of a Syrian warplane over the northern province of Aleppo, the national Syrian TV reported on Tuesday.

The warplane, the state TV said, was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. It added that the warplane was on a reconnaissance mission.

It said the work to save the pilot is now ongoing.

The al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front in the town of Eis south of Aleppo targeted the warplane, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The UK-based watchdog group said the pilot was taken to a base of the Nusra militants south of Aleppo.

Meanwhile, other activists published a 20-second-online video purporting to show the warplane while falling down in flames.

Activists also released another 30-second-video footage, showing the pilot of the downed warplane being beaten by an angry crowd of rebels while laying down.

One militant said "take whatever weapon he may have," while another one called him a "dog."

The state media has yet to comment on the incident.

The new escalation came a day after the Nusra militants unleashed a wide-scale offensive on Syrian military positions in southern Aleppo. The state-run media outlets said the offensive was foiled.

Syria's national news agency SANA said at least 15 people were killed and over 50 others wounded, when the militants fired mortar shells into the Sheikh Maksud district in Aleppo on Monday.

The general command of the Syrian army threatened in a statement released on late Monday that the Syrian forces will strike with "iron fist" all those who attempt to attack military bases or civilians.

Both the Nusra Front and the Islamic State (IS) group are designated as terrorist groups by the United Nations and were excluded from a truce that has been in place since March. Endit