BEIRUT (Reuters) - A Syrian warplane crashed north of Damascus on Wednesday, but it was unclear if it had been shot down or came down because of a technical fault, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

The jet crashed in the Eastern Qalamoun area near the Syrian capital, the British-based Observatory said.

Islamic State militants, who have a presence in the area, said in an online statement that the plane had been shot down.

Syrian state media quoted a military source as confirming a warplane had crashed after targeting Islamic State. It did not give a reason for the crash. It said the pilot had been rescued.

Islamic State claimed on Sunday to have shot down another Syrian warplane that crashed near Deir al-Zor in eastern Syria.

A number of Syrian jets have crashed or been brought down by insurgent fire this year. Syria’s civil war is raging on despite international diplomatic efforts to end it.