Syrian rebels claim control of key military base

Rebels say they seized a key military base with artillery stockpiles in eastern Syria yesterday, strengthening their hold in an oil-rich province bordering Iraq.

The rebels have been advancing in the Deir el-Zour province, and the capture of the base followed the seizure of a military airport in the same area last week.

In the north, the two sides have been locked in a deadly stalemate for months. Warplanes flattened a building next to a hospital in Aleppo on Wednesday, killing 15 people, including a doctor and three children, and damaging one of the last remaining sources of medical help for civilians, activists said.

The Dar al-Shifa became a field hospital run by volunteer doctors, nurses and aides united by their opposition to the regime and the need to give medical care to civilians.