Syrian rebels launch assault on Aleppo's main prison

Syrian rebels have launched a coordinated assault on the main prison in the northern city of Aleppo in an attempt to free hundreds of regime opponents believed to be held there.

Aleppo emerged as one of the major fronts in the country’s civil war after a rebel offensive there in July, and the fighting since then has settled into a bloody stalemate. The city, Syria’s largest, holds strategic and symbolic value, and both sides have taken significant losses in the battle to expand the turf under their control.