The FSA had previously said it shot down a Syrian warplane two weeks ago in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor and captured its pilot, but the claims cannot be independently confirmed. Activists say around 25,000 people have been killed since the uprising against Assad's rule broke out in March last year, while the United Nations says at least 200,000 people have fled to neighbouring countries and another 2.5 million are in need inside Syria.
– A government helicopter crashed today in Damascus, with rebel groups claiming they shot it down. "It was in revenge for the Daraya massacre," a spokesman for the Free Syrian Army told AFP. A video posted online shows the burning helicopter falling to the ground, reports the AP. Syria's official news agency verified the crash, but did not provide details or confirm it was destroyed at the rebels' hands. Meanwhile, the toll from the Daraya massacre continues to rise, and has hit 334 by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights' count. The Los Angeles Times reports that video footage shows victims placed in a mass grave. "We are finding bodies everywhere," says one activist. "The smell of death is everywhere." August has seen 4,000 people killed, according to the Observatory.