Deraa

President Bashar al-Assad is poised to snuff out the Syrian rebellion in the place it first began more than seven years ago, as rebels in Deraa city enter talks with his Russian allies on withdrawing or accepting a return of state authority.

South Syrian rebels agreed to give up arms in a Russian-brokered ceasefire deal on Friday, rebel sources said, surrendering Deraa province to the government in another major victory for President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian allies.

Syrian troops fought their way into a rebel-held town in the southern province of Deraa on Wednesday in an assault which rebels said was supported by the heaviest Russian aerial bombing campaign so far in the south.

Warplanes believed to be Russian bombed targets in the southern Syrian province of Deraa for the first time on Wednesday night, a rebel group operating in the area and a group monitoring the conflict said today.

Syrian government forces mounted heavy air strikes today against rebel positions in and around the northern city of Aleppo, the focus of an insurgent offensive aimed at capturing areas controlled by President Bashar al-Assad.

Twenty-one people, including four children and six women, were killed when a minibus exploded in the southern town of Noa early today, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

Eighteen people, including 12 women and children, were killed overnight by shelling in the Syrian town of Deraa, where the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad erupted 15 months ago, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday.

Troops loyal to Mr Assad have pummeled rebel strongholds across Syria this week, deploying tanks and heavy artillery to crush opponents in a string of cities and villages, including Deraa in the far south where the rebellion took hold last March.

President Bashar al-Assad is poised to snuff out the Syrian rebellion in the place it first began more than seven years ago, as rebels in Deraa city enter talks with his Russian allies on withdrawing or accepting a return of state authority.

South Syrian rebels agreed to give up arms in a Russian-brokered ceasefire deal on Friday, rebel sources said, surrendering Deraa province to the government in another major victory for President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian allies.

Syrian troops fought their way into a rebel-held town in the southern province of Deraa on Wednesday in an assault which rebels said was supported by the heaviest Russian aerial bombing campaign so far in the south.

Warplanes believed to be Russian bombed targets in the southern Syrian province of Deraa for the first time on Wednesday night, a rebel group operating in the area and a group monitoring the conflict said today.

Syrian government forces mounted heavy air strikes today against rebel positions in and around the northern city of Aleppo, the focus of an insurgent offensive aimed at capturing areas controlled by President Bashar al-Assad.

Twenty-one people, including four children and six women, were killed when a minibus exploded in the southern town of Noa early today, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

Eighteen people, including 12 women and children, were killed overnight by shelling in the Syrian town of Deraa, where the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad erupted 15 months ago, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday.

Troops loyal to Mr Assad have pummeled rebel strongholds across Syria this week, deploying tanks and heavy artillery to crush opponents in a string of cities and villages, including Deraa in the far south where the rebellion took hold last March.