Syria conflict: Huge blast 'destroys Aleppo hotel'

A large explosion in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo has destroyed a hotel and several other buildings, the BBC reported, citing state media and activists.

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.

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.