The head of Syria's air defenses was killed in clashes near the capital, Damascus, activists said Sunday, one of a few high-ranking military officers to die in the country's 3-year-old civil war. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a group based in Britain, said General Hussein Ishaq died of wounds suffered during a military offensive by President Bashar al-Assad's forces against rebels in Mleih, a Damascus suburb, where the Air Defense administration has a large base.

Russia Today is excited this morning about the delivery of 75 armored trucks to Syria to transport chemical stocks to the port of Lattakia for shipment and destruction. Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said, "Over the three days from December 18-20 we have airlifted to the Latakia airport 75 vehicles, including 50 Kamaz trucks and 25 Ural armored trucks." The Minister said, "It took 38 flights to Syria to deliver the materiel (sic)."

Activists say Syrian forces are shelling several neighbourhoods in Aleppo as the battle for control of Syria's largest city rages into its sixth day. Most fighters believe the bombardments will be followed by a ground campaign to pacify the city, although by Thursday morning reports of massive regime reinforcements had yet to materialise.