7 schoolchildren killed in government-held Aleppo area by rebel rockets

BBC – Seven children and a woman have died in government-controlled western Aleppo after a school was hit by rebel fire, state media says.

At least 32 others were injured at the school in the Furqan neighbourhood, according to the Sana news agency.

The attack comes after days of heavy bombing on the rebel-controlled east.

On Sunday, UN envoy Staffan De Mistura suggested the government grant autonomy to rebel-held areas of the city, a proposal that was dismissed.

Mr De Mistura warned earlier this week that the government was chasing a “pyrrhic victory” in Aleppo if it does not arrive at a political settlement with the opposition.

He is understood to have travelled to the capital Damascus to make another push for a peace deal, proposing an autonomous administration, according to Syria’s foreign minister Walid Muallem.

But Mr Muallem said he was not willing to consider his suggestions.