Syrian state media: Rockets slam into government-held district of Aleppo, killing 9

DAMASCUS, Syria – Syrian state media say rockets have slammed into a government-held district in the northern city of Aleppo, killing 9 people.

The SANA state news agency said on Monday that the overnight attack occurred in Aleppo's residential neighborhood of Ashrafiyeh.

There was no claim of responsibility for the attack. Rebels fighting to oust President Bashar Assad from power have frequently fired mortars and rockets into cities that are under control of his forces.

Aleppo is Syria's largest city and it has been divided between government- and opposition-held areas since rebels launched an offensive there in mid-2012, capturing whole neighborhoods and large parts of territory outside the city and along the border with Turkey.

In the past months, government forces have been relentlessly shelling Aleppo's opposition districts with aircraft and artillery.