Syrian rebels pushed to edges of Damascus and Aleppo

Sporadic clashes continued in the Syrian capital although government troops have driven them out of most neighborhoods. In Aleppo, Syria’s second city, fighter aircraft, helicopter gunships and artillery were in action against residential districts on which rebels launched an assault over the weekend. They were followed by thousands of Syrian troops. In both cities, the rebels were heavily outgunned by government forces. Activists reported 110 killed Tuesday. In his first statement since leaving Syria for Paris, Brig. Gen. Manaf Tlas confirmed he had turned against the Assad regime. In a video broadcast on Al-Arabiya, Manas said he spoke “as a son of the Syrian Arab army that has rejected the criminal program of this corrupt regime” and called on the Syrian people to unite and build a free and democratic country.