Syrian warplanes bombed rebel areas near Damascus today as President Bashar Assad’s troops battled opposition fighters for control of the road linking the capital to the country’s largest airport.

The Syrian military has bombarded the outskirts of Damascus and other areas around the country, according to activists.

Syrian rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad declared Damascus International Airport a “legitimate target” today in a bid to cut off regime supplies, as clashes between government troops and rebels forced the closure of the airport road for the second time this week.

Three people were killed and 95 wounded today when a missile fired from an Israeli helicopter exploded in a crowd in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, doctors said.

Two Palestinian men were shot dead today in the northern West Bank, one in a gun battle with Israeli troops, the other allegedly shot by a Jewish settler in an olive grove.