Syrian rebels say they shot down a military helicopter during heavy fighting with government forces in Damascus Monday.

Amateur video posted online shows what activists are claiming is a government helicopter falling to the ground in a ball of fire and crashing in a plume of black smoke. The video has not been independently verified.

Syrian state television confirmed that a government helicopter had gone down in the capital, but it did not offer any further details.

A spokesman for the local rebel force told the French news agency that the alleged downing of the helicopter was in revenge for what he called the “Daraya massacre.”

Activists blame the government for killing hundreds of people during the past several days in Daraya, which lies on the outskirts of Damascus. The government says it was battling to crush insurgents based there, while activists say the victims died in shelling or when troops allegedly went house-to-house executing people.

A spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was shocked by the reports from Daraya and that they should be independently investigated.

Meanwhile, French President Francois Hollande said his country would recognize any provisional government formed by Syria's opposition. He made his comments during a foreign policy speech to France's ambassadors.

Separately in an interview with VOA's Kurdish service, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's exiled uncle living in Europe, Rifaat al-Assad, said his nephew is repeating the brutal policies of his late father.

Assad said he warned his nephew many times to not repeat any repression, but he said the Syrian president “was not listening.”