Syrian army missile kills 13, including 8 children

BEIRUT – A missile crashed into a rebel-held Syrian town while most people were at home sleeping, killing 13 people, activists said Tuesday.

The attack on northern town of Marea occurred late Monday, said a local activist who uses the name Abu al-Hassan. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported the attack.

Those killed included an entire family composed of Mohammed Jafar, 70, his 40-year-old wife and their eight children. Abu al-Hassan said the Jafar's first wife died years ago, and he married for a second time. He said the marriage gave the retired mechanic a new lease on life: he decided to enroll in high school, and graduated when he was about 60, Abu al-Hassan said.

"He wanted to go to university but his grades weren't very good," according to al-Hassan, who said he used to attend annual exams with the man.

Abu Al-Hassan said he wasn't aware of any fighting in the area. He said the nearest front was 15 miles away in the area of Bureij.

A government airstrike also killed 10 people in the nearby northern town of Azaz early Tuesday, according to the Observatory.

Rights groups and local activists say Syrian military forces often indiscriminately strike rebel-held areas with projectiles that can't be targeted properly, overwhelmingly killing civilians.