Syria rebels shoot down fighter jet: watchdog

Rebels fighting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad shot down a fighter jet early today over the north Syrian province of Aleppo, a watchdog said, as battles raged across the strife-torn country.
"Opposition fighters shot down a fighter jet that was shelling areas near Minnigh military air base... And the pilot's fate remains unknown," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Rebels and troops have been fighting over Minnigh airport and other bases in Aleppo province for some two months.
The Britain-based Observatory also reported fighting near the international airport in Aleppo province, closed since January, and Nayrab air base.

In Daraa in southern Syria, clashes were reported as the army stormed the town of Khirbet Ghazaleh, said the watchdog that relies on a network of medics and activists on the ground for its information.
The United Nations says more than 70,000 people have been killed in the violence in Syria since the uprising against Assad's regime erupted in March 2011.