Slide Show: Inside the Battle For Aleppo

SYRIA -- August 8, 2012 at 1:25 PM EDT

Slide Show: Inside the Battle For Aleppo

The bloody fight for control of Syria's second city began in earnest today, as the Assad government launched a massive ground attack against rebel strongholds with tanks and artillery, supported by fighter jets. Meanwhile, hundreds of refugees continue flee the killing, pouring over the border into neighboring Turkey. NewsHour will have complete coverage from inside the embattled city on tonight's broadcast.

These photos below show the Free Syrian Army attempting quick, guerilla-style attacks in the heart of Aleppo, to grab territory from the Assad regime, whose heavy weapons are less nimble.

Rebels have held several key neighborhoods in the southwest, pushing all the way to the gates of the city's famed citadel. But regime airstrikes have prevented decisive blows in the two-week battle, and Assad's forces are claiming heavy rebel casualties in a ground offensive launched Wednesday on these neighborhoods.

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