BEIRUT - Rebels announced a new military campaign in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo on Thursday, a few days after government forces stepped up air attacks in a bid to recapture territory and drive residents out of opposition-held areas.
The largest Syrian rebel coalition, known as the Islamic Front, joined forces with the Nusra Front, al-Qaida's franchise in Syria, to launch an assault dubbed "The promise of truth approaches", a reference to a Koranic verse about Judgment Day.
President Bashar Assad's forces recently mounted a series of attacks on Aleppo city, once Syria's business hub, using barrel bombs - oil drums or cylinders packed with explosives and metal fragments.
