Warplanes unleashed a wave of raids in Syria’s north on Tuesday, bidding to dislodge rebels whose seizure of a key highway has prevented reinforcements from reaching main battleground city Aleppo. Peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi issued an appeal for a ceasefire during the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, meanwhile, as he travelled to Cairo to thrash out a possible solution to the conflict. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the morning air raids around Maaret al-Numan were the “most violent” since insurgents captured the strategic town last week. The warplanes targeted a rebel blockade of the highway to second city Aleppo, theatre of intense fighting for the past three months, it said, adding that insurgents responded with anti-aircraft fire.
