Regime troops counter attack on Aleppo airport

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Syrian regime troops countered an attack by opposition fighters on Aleppo’s international airport on Friday, according to SANA.

Earlier on Friday, opposition members reported that clashes erupted in some parts of Salaheddine neighborhood, one day after the withdrawal of the Free Syrian Army.

Separately, AFP reported that 10 people were killed in shelling on a bakery in eastern Aleppo. The Free Syrian Army had earlier told AFP that Aleppo's Castle was hit by a Syrian Army's shell.

In turn, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the Syrian Army shelled several neighborhoods in Aleppo, including al-Sakhour and al-Sheikh Fares areas.

Also on Friday, a 19-year-old college student was killed and 3 others were injured as loyalist forces opened fire to scatter a protest in the area called New Aleppo. According to Syrian Observatory for Human rights, several protests were held across Syria on Friday under the slogan “Arm us with anti-aircraft missiles”.

Brahimi to succeed Annan:

This as veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi is expected to replace Kofi Annan as the U.N.-Arab League joint special envoy for Syria barring a last-minute change, diplomats said on Thursday.

The former Algerian foreign minister, who has a long history as a diplomatic troubleshooter, will have his work cut out for him in Syria, where President Bashar al-Assad is using his security forces to try to crush a 17-month-old pro-democracy rebellion.

Brahimi's appointment could be announced as early as next week but the diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there are sometimes last-minute changes if a key government has concerns about the choice or the candidate has misgivings.

Brahimi called Friday on the U.N. Security Council members to agree on a unified position on Syria.

US imposes sanctions:

The United States has imposed sanctions on Syria's state-run oil company Sytrol for having provided gasoline to Iran, the U.S. State Department said on Friday.

"Though these sanctions are a direct result of Syria's provision of gasoline to Iran, the United States views Iran's broader support for the Assad regime as completely unjustifiable," department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said in a written statement.

Earlier, the U.S. Treasury imposed a new round of economic sanctions against Hezbollah for providing support to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government.

Earlier, a senior U.S. official had said that the United States was preparing to announce new sanctions targeting Syria and other entities supporting President Bashar al-Assad's government.

"We will be tightening even further with additional sanctions that drive at both Syrian entities and those who are supporting the efforts of the Syrian government to oppress its own people," the official told reporters traveling with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Ghana.

REUTERS/ LBCI

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