Opposition fighters have launched a fierce assault on Syrian government intelligence headquarters in Aleppo on Wednesday, with at least 34 people dead from both warring sides.
Opposition fighters linked to the Al Nusra Front and other Islamist organisations detonated a bomb placed in a tunnel running underneath the headquarters, with the blast being heard throughout Aleppo. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported a 2.3-magnitude tremor at the time of the explosion.
Fighters from the opposition forces subsequently launched a raid on the government building, part of which had reportedly collapsed.
The Syrian army claimed it had "eliminated large numbers of terrorists" and "thwarted attempts by terrorist groups to infiltrate the Air Force Intelligence building in Aleppo”.
The building is seen as a key military installation in the embattled city, which all sides in the conflict have been vying for control of.