Helicopters join battle in Syria's Aleppo

Fierce clashes intensified in Syria's commercial capital of Aleppo on Tuesday as the government unleashed attack helicopters on rebellious neighborhoods and warplanes circled overhead, while activists claimed opposition fighters had control over several neighborhoods in the city.

The battle in Aleppo has spread from neighborhoods in the northeast and southwest of the city to previously untouched areas like Firdous in the south and Arkoub closer to the center, local activists and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. (AP)