Rocket attack kills at least 9 in government-held area of northern Syrian city of Aleppo

DAMASCUS, Syria – Syrian state media and an activist group say a rocket attack on a government-held neighborhood in the northern city of Aleppo has killed at least nine civilians, including children.

The official SANA news agency says three children were among nine people killed Monday when the rockets slammed into the Suryan neighborhood. It blamed the attack on terrorists, which is the term the government uses to describe anyone opposing President Bashar Assad.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group also reported the attack. It put the death toll at 10 people, including four children. It said the number of fatalities could rise because many of the wounded were in critical condition.

The Observatory relies on a network of activist inside Syria for its information.