Syria shoots down balloon carrying US-made spying devices near Idlib

The Syrian army says it has shot down a balloon that carried US-made spying devices over the northwestern province of Idlib.

According to Syria’s official news agency, SANA, the balloon, which was equipped with US-made spying devices including cameras, was shot down over town of Maaret al-Numan on Thursday.

Syrian officials say the devices have large memory storage.

Syrian army units have also seized a car with a European number plate and a warehouse of ammunition and US-made rockets.

Last month, Syrian authorities confiscated Israeli espionage devices along the country’s Mediterranean coast.

The gadgets were found inside rocks made of fiber and were designed to film and instantly transmit live images and information.

Damascus has frequently lashed out at certain Western states and their regional allies for aiding the insurgents fighting the Syrian government.

The country has been experiencing unrest since March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

Damascus says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the insurgents are foreign nationals.

Several international human rights organizations have accused foreign-sponsored militants of committing war crimes.