BEIRUT -- Warplanes pounded rebel-held areas north of the Syrian city of Hama on Thursday in an escalation of air strikes, a rebel official and a monitor said, as government forces fought to reverse the insurgents' biggest assault in months.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and a doctor said air strikes near the town of Latamneh, northwest of Hama, had led several people to choke, saying it was a sign of a gas attack. A Syrian military source denied the army had used any such weapons, branding the reports as rebel propaganda.
Rebel groups, spearheaded by jihadist insurgents from the former al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front but also including Free Syrian Army (FSA) groups, launched their attack on government-held areas near Hama last week.