Syrian Government Forces Bomb Northern Rebel Strongholds

U.N. envoy urging China to held end the conflict

Government warplanes are bombarding opposition strongholds around Damascus and in the north, activists say.

Jets carried out strikes in the eastern Ghouta, outside the capital, and Maarat al-Numan, a town in Idlib province that straddles the Damascus-Aleppo motorway.

The attacks came a day after activists said more than 160 people were killed.

Meanwhile, UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi urged China's leaders to help end the violence following the failure of his Eid al-Adha ceasefire initiative.