(Newser)
–
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is reporting what it calls a "new massacre" near Aleppo. At least 65 people have been found dead, all apparently shot in the head, and all with their arms tied behind their backs, Reuters reports. The death toll could rise as high as 80, the rights group said. It's unclear which faction in the country's ongoing civil war killed them.
The incident comes as Syrian rebels scored a major victory today, taking a government intelligence compound in the eastern city of Deir al-Zor after five days of fighting, and freeing at least 11 prisoners held within, the AP reports. The government responded with a series of airstrikes in an attempt to drive the rebels out. According to Reuters, the rebels included fighters from the al-Nusra Front, an Islamist group with ties to al-Qaeda.
