Syria conflict: '200 air force strikes' in 36 hours

The Syrian military has stepped up air strikes on rebel areas dramatically, carrying out more than 200 in recent days, the BBC reported, citing opposition activists.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the raids took place mostly in western areas between midnight on Sunday and noon on Tuesday.

The UK-based group said there were many casualties, but did not give a figure.

The intensified strikes come as US-led forces continue to bomb Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria and Iraq.

US and Arab jets have been attacking IS positions in around the northern Syrian town of Kobane, where Kurdish fighters are under siege.

Overnight, US officials said they were examining a video that appeared to show IS fighters in possession of a bundle of military aid dropped by aircraft near Kobane on Sunday.

The Syrian air force's strikes targeted rebel-held areas in Quneitra, Deraa, the Damascus countryside, Hama, Idlib and Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory said.

The provinces stretch from the country's south-west through the capital, Damascus, to the far north-west.

The eastern province of Deir al-Zour, where government forces have been battling IS militants, was also bombed over the same period.