Holed up in a Turkish safe-house, a Kurdish commander of a Syrian rebel unit makes a novel pitch for more weapons to help his men fight the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Syria of giving Kurdish rebels a free hand in its north and warned that Ankara would not hesitate to strike.

Israel on Thursday ramped up security along its ceasefire line with Syria in the occupied Golan Heights as fighting between rebels and President Bashar al-Assad's regime intensified, Israeli security sources said.

Paris prosecutors opened a preliminary probe Thursday into the alleged involvement of French technology firm Qosmos in supplying Syria's regime with surveillance equipment, judicial sources said.

Battles raged through the night and into Thursday in Syria's largest city Aleppo, a monitoring group said, as activists reported clashes in the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus.

Fighting in Aleppo raged through the night and into Thursday, a monitoring group said, after the army and rebels rushed in reinforcements for what is seen as a decisive battle for Syria's second city.

Syrian troops and rebels sent reinforcements to the intensifying battle in the second city Aleppo, as the US said fresh defections from the regime showed President Bashar al-Assad's "days are numbered".

The Syrian army and rebels on Wednesday sent reinforcements to Aleppo to join the intensifying battle for the country's second city, as UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged the world "to stop the slaughter."

Canada aims to boost its humanitarian aid in Syria, the nation's top diplomat said Wednesday while expressing concerns over chemical weapons and "radicalized" foreign fighters in the Mideast country.

Turkey indefinitely closed three border crossings Wednesday to Turkish nationals trying to get into Syria, citing security concerns in the strife-torn neighbour, officials said.

Violence raged in Syria's second city Aleppo for the six consecutive day, as regular troops battled rebel forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Two more Syrian brigadier generals crossed into Turkey, bringing to 27 the number of generals who have fled the unrest in Syria, a foreign ministry diplomat told AFP.

The Syrian army moved reinforcements to Aleppo on Wednesday as the battle for the commercial capital intensified, with Washington saying rebel gains may result in a safe haven inside the country.

Syrian rebels have accused strongman Bashar al-Assad of moving chemical weapons to the country's borders, after his beleaguered regime said it would use its stockpiles if attacked.

President Barack Obama extended for another year Wednesday sanctions against entities the US considers threatening to Lebanon's stability, a veiled reference to supporters of Hezbollah.

The spike in violence in Syria has triggered alarm bells in Jordan that it could be dragged into the conflict with "severe" repercussions, analysts say.

Rebels accused strongman Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday of moving chemical weapons to Syria's borders, a day after his beleaguered regime said it would use its stockpiles if attacked.

General Ali Mamluk, who was appointed on Tuesday as the new head of Syria's National Security office, is a career intelligence officer and a confidant of President Bashar al-Assad.

The United States is stepping up support for the Syrian opposition amid signs events in the 16-month uprising are moving faster on the ground, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday.

Syria's rebels accused strongman Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday of moving chemical weapons to the country's borders, a day after his beleaguered regime said it would use its stockpiles if attacked.