Rebels Down Iranian Weapons Cargo Plane at Damascus, Syria?
Many major news media have made a brief mention of the Iranian aircraft alleged to have been carrying weapons being shot down by Syrian rebel fire. Many Middle East news reports also indicate this, that upon making a landing it was hit. Others indicate that the plane was at a higher altitude when approaching to land.
The critical item missing is evidence-photos or video. The Assad regime denies this occurring and the airport remains open with flights. This is not the first time the rebels have claimed to have shot down a plane. They have shot down a few Syrian aircraft, but in March 2013, they had claimed to have shot down an Iranian plane and provided a video to show what looked like an explosion. This claim was proved false because the video shows the explosion was really the sun hitting the aircraft and from a distance appears as an explosion. The problem is-no smoke!
The Battle for the Damascus Airport has been going on a long time and so far, Syrian forces have been able to hold it and keep rebels away BUT since they are armed with some anti-aircraft handheld missiles, a cargo plane would be an easy target if the firer was well trained to hit a moving target. Of course, one the plane landed, it could become an easy target but still safe from crash.
Rebels have fired a few rockets at the airport recently, but damage was nil. Israeli jets hit the airport in early May causing moderate damage, but the airport continues to operate mainly for the Iranian 747's to supply Assad with support.
