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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Syria conflict: Huge blast 'destroys Aleppo hotel' | Syria conflict: Huge blast 'destroys Aleppo hotel' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A large explosion in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo has destroyed a hotel and several other buildings, state media and activists report. | A large explosion in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo has destroyed a hotel and several other buildings, state media and activists report. |
| Rebel fighters are believed to have detonated a bomb placed in a tunnel beneath the Carlton Citadel Hotel, near the city's medieval citadel and souk. | Rebel fighters are believed to have detonated a bomb placed in a tunnel beneath the Carlton Citadel Hotel, near the city's medieval citadel and souk. |
| Opposition activists said that government troops were based there and that a number had been killed. | Opposition activists said that government troops were based there and that a number had been killed. |
| Both sides have been trying to end a long-standing stalemate in the city. | Both sides have been trying to end a long-standing stalemate in the city. |
| In recent weeks, rebels have been trying to advance on areas where government forces are entrenched, while rebel-held areas of Aleppo have come under fierce aerial bombardment since mid-December. | In recent weeks, rebels have been trying to advance on areas where government forces are entrenched, while rebel-held areas of Aleppo have come under fierce aerial bombardment since mid-December. |
| 'Archaeological sites' | 'Archaeological sites' |
| The state news agency, Sana, reported that "terrorists" had blown up tunnels they had dug underneath archaeological sites in the Old City. | The state news agency, Sana, reported that "terrorists" had blown up tunnels they had dug underneath archaeological sites in the Old City. |
| Preliminary reports said the hotel had suffered "huge damage", it added, without saying if there had been any casualties. | Preliminary reports said the hotel had suffered "huge damage", it added, without saying if there had been any casualties. |
| The Carlton Citadel is situated inside a 150-year-old building that faces the entrance of the 13th-Century citadel, which along with the rest of the Old City is a Unesco World Heritage Site. | The Carlton Citadel is situated inside a 150-year-old building that faces the entrance of the 13th-Century citadel, which along with the rest of the Old City is a Unesco World Heritage Site. |
| The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based activist group, and the opposition Shaam News Network (SNN) said it was being used by government forces. | |
| The remote detonation of a large quantity of explosives placed in the tunnel by the Islamic Front had destroyed the hotel and caused the collapse of several nearby buildings, the Observatory said. | |
| A number of security forces personnel and militiamen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad were believed to have been killed, it added. | A number of security forces personnel and militiamen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad were believed to have been killed, it added. |