Rebels don't have much access to anti-aircraft missiles that shoot from the ground up into the sky. Instead, they rely on heavy machine guns to destroy air ships. But a New York Times correspondent suggests in an early analysis that the weapon in the video does appear to be a surface-to-air missile.

By slowly destroying the air fleet of the government, rebels hope to continue the slowdown of airstrikes that have crippled their chances of capturing cities needed to overthrow the government.

A video released earlier in the week shows a bombs the rebels said were dropped by a government war plane striking a playground, killing 10 children.

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