The Latest: Syrian government defends record on aid

Members of the Syrian government delegation, with Syrian ambassador to the United Nations and head of the government delegation Bashar al-Jaafari, left, and Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmed Arnous attend a meeting with UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura during Syria peace talks at the United Nations office in Geneva, Switzerland, Friday, April 22, 2016. (Fabrice Coffrini/Pool Photo via AP) (The Associated Press)

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UN special envoy for Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura gestures upon his arrival for a meeting with the Syrian government delegation during Syria peace talks at the United Nations office in Geneva, Switzerland, Friday, April 22, 2016. (Fabrice Coffrini/Pool Photo via AP) (The Associated Press)

UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura attends a meeting with the Syrian government delegation during Syria peace talks at the United Nations office in Geneva, Switzerland, Friday, April 22, 2016. (Fabrice Coffrini/Pool Photo via AP) (The Associated Press)

BEIRUT – The Latest on Syria's civil war (all times local):

4 p.m.

Syrian President Bashar Assad's envoy to peace talks in Geneva is defending his government's record on humanitarian aid.

The opposition has repeatedly accused Damascus of deliberately blocking shipments, and the U.N. has made several appeals for it to do more to help.

Government envoy Bashar Ja'afari on Friday lashed out at the opposition for shedding "crocodile tears" about alleged humanitarian aid lapses.

Ja'afari spoke to reporters at U.N. offices in Geneva where indirect peace talks and other meetings on Syria's crisis have been held in recent months. He says his delegation will meet with U.N. mediator Staffan de Mistura again on Monday.

The opposition High Negotiations Committee has pulled back from the peace talks, accusing the government of hundreds of violations of a cease-fire brokered by the U.S. and Russia, illegally detaining thousands of Syrians and blocking humanitarian aid.

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1:35 p.m.

Anti-government activists say airstrikes in Syria's northern city of Aleppo have killed at least seven people in rebel-held areas.

The airstrikes Friday reportedly occurred in a southwestern suburb of the divided city.

Aleppo has seen sporadic clashes since the February 27 cease-fire, as government troops advanced, boxing in rebel-held areas from all sides except for a corridor from the northwestern edge of the city.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least 10 people were killed in the airstrikes in Bustan al-Qasr neighborhood and other parts of the city.

Two activist-operated media outlets, the Syrian Revolution Network and Azaz Media center, say at least seven people were killed. The discrepancy couldn't immediately be reconciled but divergent death tolls are common soon after attacks.