BEIRUT — An activist group says a Syrian military helicopter caught fire and crashed after it was apparently hit during fighting between government forces and rebels in Damascus.

Syria's state television said a helicopter crashed Monday in Damascus but gave no details.

A video posted on the Internet showed the helicopter engulfed in flames shortly before it hit the ground.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which reported the crash, earlier said that fighting between troops backed by helicopter gunships and rebels was taking place in the Damascus neighborhood of Jobar.

The Syrian conflict began 17 months ago with mostly peaceful protests demanding that President Bashar Assad step down, but it has since morphed into a civil war. Rights activists say at least 20,000 people have been killed.