https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/s...dlib-whpvxfl8d
Syrian rebels shoot down Assad helicopter as violence escalates in IdlibSyrian rebels have shot down a regime helicopter amid an escalation of violence in Idlib province that threatens to suck Turkey into full-blown war with President Assad.
The helicopter was shot down today in Nairab, west of the town of Saraqeb, by fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a hardline Islamist group that is the successor of al-Qaeda in Syria.
Footage released by the group shows the blackened and burning wreckage of the Mil MI-17 crashing to the ground in open land close to heavily damaged apartment blocks. TRT, Turkey’s state broadcaster, also reported the footage.
The group also claimed to have retaken ground from the regime in the same area amid heavy clashes and airstrikes today. President Assad’s forces are pushing into Idlib, the last rebel-held province, from the south, and are using helicopters to drop barrel bombs onto residential areas. The heaviest fighting is currently around the town of Atareb, to the northeast of Idlib city.
Although HTS is not officially among the rebel factions backed by Ankara, Turkey has beefed up its military presence in Idlib since the weekend, moving an extra 5,000 soldiers across the border, and is effectively fighting alongside the group.......