Rebels besiege airports in northern Syria
Syrian rebels stepped up their siege of a government helicopter base and clashed with soldiers near Aleppo's international airport on Friday, part of an effort to chip away at the air power that poses the biggest challenge to their advances against the regime of President Bashar Assad.
That airborne threat came into stark relief the same day, when a government airstrike on a northern town killed 14 people _ most of them women and children, activists said. More than 21-months into Syria's conflict, the Assad regime is counting more than ever on its air force to block rebel gains. (AP)
