Artillery fire rocks Aleppo as Syria army presses assault

Heavy artillery exchanges rocked Syria's battleground second city Aleppo throughout the night as government forces pressed a two-pronged assault on rebel-held districts, an AFP correspondent reported on Saturday. The government's offensive to recapture the whole of Aleppo has been bolstered by its Russian ally's rejection of Western demands for a halt to its deadly bombing campaign in support of the advancing troops. About 250,000 residents are living under siege by the army in the rebel-held ea