Syrian troops repulse rebels in Aleppo

Syria's state media said Monday that government troops repulsed a rebel attack on a police school in the northern city of Aleppo, one day after President Bashar Assad called on Syrians to fight an opposition that he characterized as religious extremists.

SANA news agency said members of the "terrorist group" were killed and wounded in the late Sunday battle but did not specify the number. The government and the pro-regime media refer to rebels as terrorists.

Aleppo, Syria's largest city and a former commercial hub, has been a major front in the civil war since July, with battles often raging for control of military and security facilities such as the police school. Rebels have recently made significant advances there, in the east, and in the capital Damascus, bringing the civil war closer to the seat of Assad's power.

In his speech Sunday, Assad laid out terms for a peace plan but dismissed any chance of dialogue with "murderous criminals" who he said were responsible for nearly two years of violence. Nearly 60,000 people have died, according to a recent United Nations estimate.

Assad appeared confident and relaxed in a one-hour speech - his first public address in six months. He struck a defiant tone, ignoring international demands for him to step down and saying he is ready to hold a dialogue - but only with those "who have not betrayed Syria." He also vowed to continue the battle "as long as there is one terrorist left."

He offered a national reconciliation conference, elections and a new constitution but demanded regional and Western countries stop funding and arming rebels trying to overthrow his regime first.

The towns and cities around Damascus have seen relentless fighting in the past weeks, as rebels try to push through the government's heavy defenses in the capital. The regime has responded with withering counterattacks including barrages by artillery and warplanes. The Observatory also reported clashes in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, in the central region of Homs and in the southern province of Daraa, the birthplace of the uprising in March 2011.