Rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday seized control of an air defence battalion in the centre of the country, according to an opposition group, dpa reported.
Some troopers from the battalion, on the outskirts of the restive province of Homs, have defected, added the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in a statement.
Verification of events in Syria is difficult due to a ban on foreign journalists visiting restive areas.