Blasts in Syria's northern Aleppo province kill 30

Al-Ekhbaria aired footage of the blast site, showing scenes of destruction and carnage at the square with ravaged buildings and huge piles of debris. Emergency workers were seen working franticly at the site. Other pro-government media said three blasts were heard rocking the square in Aleppo, adding that the first blast targeted an area hotel while the other targeted the city's municipal palace. The reports said the third one is probably a mortar shell fired by the armed groups at the square.

Meanwhile, there were reports of a fourth explosion. It was reportedly caused by a booby-trapped car that went off near the Central Bank of Aleppo while it was being dismantled, the pro- government Sham FM said. The latest chaos comes amid the pitch battles currently underway in Aleppo between the Syrian troops and the armed rebels, who announced last week the commencement of their "decisive" battle to win control over Aleppo, Syria's largest city and commercial hub.

A day earlier, a well-informed source told Xinhua that the Syrian troops received huge reinforcements in Aleppo in order to settle the situation there once and for all. The source said that the city of Aleppo is expected to be cleansed within very few days. Meanwhile, the pro-government al-Watan daily said Wednesday that the Syrian army has made up its mind and taken the decision to push through Aleppo's eastern districts, which have emerged as strongholds of armed rebels.

The daily said the battle in the eastern districts will be the decisive and last battle, adding that the Syrian troops killed 50 armed men in al-Sukkari district of Aleppo in a qualitative operation there. It said many of those killed were foreign nationals and headed by a Saudi who goes by the nom de guerre " Saudi Harithi." The paper pointed out that the clashes are still raging for the third straight day at the entrances of the Aleppo 's old market, particularly in the surroundings of the Ummayad Mosque.