The Syrian government has increasingly been using helicopters and other aircraft in its fight against the rebels. Rebels have claimed to have shot down helicopters and warplanes in the past, although the regime has blamed most of the problems on mechanical difficulties. In Thursday’s incident, the helicopters rotor clipped the tail of a Syrian Arab Airlines jet, the state TV said. The passenger plane “landed safely at the airport and none of the 200 passengers were harmed,” the report said. The helicopter crashed southeast of Douma, a Damascus suburb that has witnessed repeated military crackdowns to purge fighters seeking to topple Assad. No further details were made available. “We heard the sound of several explosions and some gunfire, and a few minutes later, we were told that a helicopter had crashed,” said Mohammad Saeed, an activist in Douma.