DAMASCUS, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- A rebel group claimed on Tuesday to have downed a Syrian warplane in Sweida province in southern Syria.
The Jaish Usud al-Sharqiyeh rebel group, or the Army of Eastern Lions, which are active in the Syrian Desert, said its fighters downed a MiG-21 in the Syrian Desert at the outskirts of the eastern countryside of Sweida, as part of a battle called "the Land is Ours."
In a statement, the group said the pilot was captured.
The state-run media outlets have yet to report or comment on the incident.
The Syrian army has captured large swathes of the eastern countryside of Sweida, but activists said the rebels attacked positions of the army in eastern Sweida on Tuesday.
Activists said the rebels launched their attacks from the Tanf area, where a border crossing under the same name with Iraq is located.
The United States has been backing rebels near Tanf, where it has military bases.
The rebel attack comes days after the Syrian army said it had captured all border points between Sweida countryside and Jordan amid notable progress against the rebels in the Syrian Desert.
