Syria aircraft pound rebels

Regime aircraft on Sunday hammered insurgent bastions nationwide as rebels said they now control most of the country and have moved their command centre from Turkey to “liberated areas” inside Syria.

With deadly violence raging across Syria, UN-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi prepared to brief the UN Security Council on Monday about talks he had with both President Bashar al-Assad and the opposition.

Brahimi discussed Syria with UN chief Ban Ki-moon yesterday and both agreed that the 18-month crisis was “a steadily increasing threat to regional peace and stability,” a statement said.

On the ground, at least 40 people were killed on Sunday, as Syrian aircraft carried out strikes on rebel bastions, especially in central Homs province and Deir Ezzor in the east.

Apartment blocks in Albu Kamal, a town in oil-rich Deir Ezzor province, were targeted.