Rebels fire kills 9 in Syria's Aleppo

At least nine people were killed and 19 others wounded on Friday by rebels' mortar shelling in the northern city of Aleppo, state news agency SANA said.

The rebels' fresh round of mortar shelling slammed the vicinity of a mosque in the Bab al-Faraj district in Aleppo, while worshipers were leaving Friday's prayers, SANA added.

The attack is the latest in a series of violent shelling that has intensified among the warring sides in Aleppo for the past seven days.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the week-long shelling by both the rebels and the government forces has killed 202 civilians, including 34 children and 20 women.

The UK-based watchdog group said 123 out of the 202 slain civilians were killed by airstrikes against rebel-held areas.

Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross said the intense battles raging in Aleppo "are putting millions at grave risk."

"Wherever you are, you hear explosions of mortars, shelling and planes flying over," said Valter Gros, who heads the ICRC's office in Aleppo.

"There is no neighborhood of the city that hasn't been hit. People are living on the edge. Everyone here fears for their lives and nobody knows what is coming next."

The Observatory said airstrikes on Wednesday evening targeted a hospital in a rebel-held area east of Aleppo, killing over 20 people.

The Syrian army and Russia have denied carrying airstrikes on the hospital.

The Red Cross said that Al Quds hospital in eastern Aleppo city was completely destroyed overnight, killing several people and depriving many more of life-saving medical care.

The humanitarian organization has urged all parties to "spare the civilians. Don't attack hospitals, don't use weapons that cause widespread damage."

Aleppo is the second largest city in Syria and one of the worst affected in the past five years of conflict. Large parts of the city have been destroyed, and infrastructure severely damaged, leaving civilians without water and electricity for months, according to the Red Cross.

Source: XINHUA