Syrian rebels gives government deadline

DAMASCUS, Syria — Syrian rebels on Wednesday freed 48 Iranians held captive since August after President Bashar Assad’s regime promised to release hundreds of detainees in the first major prisoner swap of the country’s civil war, officials said. The exchange came just days after Assad vowed to press ahead with the fight against rebels despite international pressure to end the bloodshed that has left more than 60,000 people dead.

BEIRUT – Syria’s state-run TV says an explosion has struck the main university in the northern city of Aleppo, causing casualties. The report didn’t give further details about Tuesday’s blast or specify the number of victims. Aleppo is Syria’s largest city and a former commercial hub. It has been a major front in the country’s civil war since July, with frequent battles between regime troops and rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad.

AMMAN, Jordan — More than 200 Syrian soldiers and opposition fighters died in the eight-day battle for a police academy near the embattled northern city of Aleppo, activists said Sunday as President Bashar Assad lashed out at the West for sending aid to those trying to oust him. The Britain-based anti-regime group The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the rebels seized control of the police academy in Khan al-Asal, west of Aleppo, after entering the sprawling government complex with tanks they captured from Assad’s troops in previous battles.

In the Syrian town of Tal Kalakh, rebel fighters and government forces have agreed to something remarkable -- a cease-fire.

Camp Run by Syrian-Americans Atimah Refuee Camp, Syria — Firas Salam struggled to carry the eight liter jerry can up the hill. When the thirteen year old reached the top, he veered right into a row of tents. But before he could make it to the 220 square foot nylon bivouac, he slipped into the muddy earth, spilling his can.

Peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi held "constructive" talks in Syria with President Bashar al-Assad, as Washington warned that his regime's days are numbered. As jihadists seized an area populated by the embattled leader's Alawite community, the opposition National Coalition accused Damascus of committing a "massacre" of dozens of civilians in the bombing of a bakery.

Syrian forces clashed with opposition fighters early Saturday in the coastal city of Latakia, anti-government activists said, further crumbling a shaky cease-fire meant to end 13 months of unrest.