Air strikes mar Syrian ceasefire

(Vatican Radio) Syrian air force jets bombed rebellious suburbs of Damascus yesterday, leaving the United Nations-based ceasefire in tatters.

Rebels also fought street battles with Bashar al-Assad’s forces in the Syrian capital, while clashes were reported along the main Aleppo-Damascus highway as the civil war continued unabated.

An air strike in Jabal al-Zawiya in Idlib province in north-west Syria killed at least 16 people yesterday, including seven children and five women, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, revising an earlier death toll of four.

Meanwhile, Iraqi authorities forced an Iranian cargo plane heading to Syria to land for inspection in Baghdad to ensure it was not carrying weapons, an Iraqi official said Sunday.

It was the second such forced landing this month. The plane was released after the check.

Listen to Nathan Morley's report: