Syria attack

Artillery shells and rockets landed inside the heart of the city as part of a surprise rebel attack, they say.

The insurgents detonated two suicide car bombs in Jobar district before trying to storm government defence lines, observers said.

The military responded to the attack with air strikes.

Syrian state media says secret tunnels were also used to launch the assault in Jobar.

Turkey's military said the soldiers had been targeted in a Syrian government air strike on Thursday, during an offensive by Turkish-backed rebels against so-called Islamic State.

However, a Syrian monitoring group said the deaths were caused by a suicide bomb attack on Wednesday claimed by IS.

Meanwhile a member of the US military has died while fighting against IS.

The soldier, who has not been named, died from wounds caused by an improvised explosive device in Ayn Issa, north of the IS stronghold Raqqa.