France Press

BEIRUT: Syria's army, locked in a fierce battle for control of Aleppo, pounded rebel-held areas of the commercial capital on Thursday, rights activists reported.
 
An intense bombardment rocked the neighbourhoods of Hanano, Saif al-Dawla, Shaar and Shakur from 3:00 am (0000 GMT), according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
 
Shooting was heard in several suburbs of the northern city, according to the Local Coordination Committees, a network of opposition activists on the ground, which also reported the shelling of Sakhur.
 
Violence across Syria on Wednesday cost the lives of 167 people -- 95 civilians, 54 soldiers and 18 rebels, said the Observatory, adding that 33 died in Aleppo, including 24 civilians and nine rebel fighters.
 
Backed by tanks and air power, forces loyal to President Bashar Assad on Wednesday launched a major ground offensive against the rebels who had claimed to have control of half of the city.
 
The regime declared its troops seized back the key district of Salaheddin, but the insurgents promptly denied the claim, saying they had recaptured much of what they lost in what they called a "barbaric and savage attack."