Syria repels rebel attack on air base

DAMASCUS, Syria, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- A rebel attack on an air base outside Aleppo has been repelled, the Syrian government says.

The attack was the most recent of strikes on air bases by opposition groups trying to slow Syria's use of helicopters and military aircraft against rebel forces, the BBC reported Saturday.

Rebels fleeing the Rasm al-Abboud base left behind mounted machine guns and other equipment that were displayed on Syrian state television.

About 100 people were killed in fighting Friday throughout the country, including Aleppo, the country's commercial hub, and the outskirts of Damascus.

Prolonged fighting was occurring at the Abu Zohur air base in Idlib province, activists said.

In the eastern city of Deir al-Zour, the rebel seizure of an air force building resulted in the death of the commander and the capture of at least 16 personnel, the pro-rebel Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

During a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad assured Syrian Prime Minister Wail al-Halqi of their continued support for President Bashar Assad.

Iran says rebel forces in Syria are backed by the United States and Israel.