Syrian helicopter downed in Damascus December 1, 2017 - 17:16 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A Syrian Mi-24 helicopter was downed over the West Ghouta region of Damascus while aiding their ground forces inside the Beit Jinn pocket on Friday, December 1 morning, Al-Masdar News reports. According to a military source, the Syrian chopper crashed near the Al-Salaam Highway in the government-held Kanakir area – the pilot and two of his personnel were killed instantly. The source from the Syrian military stated that a militant group fired an anti-aircraft missile at the chopper while it was flying over the Beit Jinn pocket. The pro-opposition Horan Free Media Facebook page released footage of the missile strike on the helicopter. The Syrian military has accused Israel of providing these missiles to the Al-Qaeda linked Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham terrorist group, as they would have no other way of attaining these advanced SAMs.   Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims  Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide.Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed.Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham).Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |
