December 31, 2013 - 6:03 AM
BEIRUT - A missile struck a bus Tuesday in a rebel-held area of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, setting it on fire and killing at least 10 people, activists said.
Another missile stuck nearby in the al-Bab area of Aleppo as residents rushed to carry out the wounded from the bus, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Syrian forces have killed more than 500 people, mostly civilians, since Dec. 15 in a bombing campaign of Aleppo, mostly by dropping crude explosive-filled barrels over rebel neighbourhoods. The al-Bab area has been a frequent target. The bombing has been one of the most intense attacks on residential areas since the Syrian uprising began three years ago against the rule of President Bashar Assad.
Rebels seized parts of Aleppo, Syria's largest city, during the summer of 2012. Rebels also have fired at neighbourhoods perceived as loyal to Assad in other parts of Syria.
On Tuesday, Syrian state media reported that a rebel-fired mortar shell killed three people in the central city of Homs. The Observatory said one person was killed in the same incident. Such conflicting claims are typical.
News from © The Associated Press, 2013