World

Photo: The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian men walk at a street between destroyed buildings where triple bombs rocked at the Saadallah al-Jabri square, in Aleppo city, Syria, Wednesday Oct. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/SANA)

Three suicide bombers detonated cars packed with explosives in the main square of the northern city of Aleppo on Wednesday, killing at least 33 people, leveling buildings and trapping survivors under the rubble, Syrian state TV said.

A fourth explosion a few hundred meters (yards) away also struck near the edge of the Old City, a world heritage site, where rebels and government forces have been battling in fierce street fighting.

Long free of the violence that has engulfed much of the rest of the country, Aleppo in the past two months has become a key battleground between regime forces and rebels trying to oust President Bashar Assad. The opposition launched an initial offensive on the city, Syria's largest and commercial hub, in July, which has left large swaths of the ancient city shattered.

Rebels last week announced a new concerted push to capture Aleppo, which would be a major strategic prize, giving the victor new momentum. It would also provide the opposition with a base, with easy logistical supply lines with Turkey to the north, from which to carry out their fight against the regime in the rest of the country.

Syria's state-run SANA news agency said the bombings early Wednesday, which targeted Saadallah al-Jabri square, were carried out by "terrorists" and killed at least 33 people and wounded dozens more. Authorities refer to rebels fighting to topple Assad as terrorists and armed gangs.