Syrian planes pound Aleppo for fourth straight day

BEIRUT: Activists say Syrian warplanes are pounding opposition-held parts of the northern city of Aleppo for the fourth straight day in a push to drive rebels out.

Aleppo-based activist Abu al-Hassan Marea and the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights say military aircraft were targeting roads and Aleppo´s eastern sector with heavy machinegun fire early on Wednesday.

The offensive has killed more than 100 people so far and overwhelmed Aleppo´s struggling hospitals.

Activists say the ongoing assault is the worst they have witnessed so far.

They suggest President Bashar Assad´s government is trying to crush the opposition in the contested city ahead of an international peace conference in late January in Switzerland.

Aleppo has been a major front in Syria´s civil war since the rebels launched an offensive there in mid-2012.