PHOTO: Collapsed wall of the historic Aleppo Citadel, following Saturday’s tunnel bomb by rebel forces

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UPDATE 2230 GMT: The Levant Front rebel coalition has said that the destruction of part of the Aleppo Citadel was caused by regime bombing of a rebel tunnel.

Pro-regime Al Mayadeen has implicitly acknowledged the regime’s responsibility, tweeting that the Syrian Army blew up a tunnel as “militants” moved towards the Citadel, killing all of them.

However, a regime official, Lina Quteifan, maintained that “Takfiri terrorist organizations” had committed a new crime “against the Syrian heritage and civilization”.

A tunnel bomb damaged the historic Aleppo Citadel on Saturday, as rebels continue their offensive to take regime-held areas of Syria’s largest city.

Part of the outside wall of the Citadel, in Aleppo’s Old City, collapsed from the blast.

The use of the Citadel’s site dates back to the third millennium BC, while the fortified castle reached its peak of development in the 12th century. The area was added to the World Heritage list in 1986.

No one claimed responsibility for the blast, although rebels have periodically used tunnel bombs against regime positions in the center of Aleppo.

An activist offered another possibility:

Rebels launched their latest offensive in Aleppo 10 days ago, seeking to capture regime-held areas of the west of the city. The rebel coalitions, Fateh Halab and Ansar as-Sharia, took parts of the al-Zahra area — including the Military Research Complex — at the outset of the attacks, opening up the New Aleppo district. However, progress has been limited since then amid heavy fighting.

See Syria Daily, July 7: Rebels Attack Again in Aleppo City
Syria Daily, July 4: How Far Can Rebels Go in Aleppo?

One of the largest rebel tunnel bombs near the Citadel destroyed the Carlton Hotel, used as a headquarters by the Syrian military, in May 2014.

Report: Regime Warplanes Kill At Least 29 in Islamic State-Held Area of Aleppo Province

The Local Coordination Committees report that regime warplanes killed at least 29 people in bombing of a town held by the Islamic State in Aleppo Province on Saturday.

The attacks struck a residential area and a crowded market in al-Bab, 30 km (19 miles) northeast of Aleppo city.

Regime Airstrikes on IS-held towns have been far less common than attacks on rebel-controlled areas, especially near the frontline of fighting between the Islamic State and rebels in Aleppo Province.

It is not clear why al-Bab was targeted on Saturday — a “Syrian military source” said no attack had been carried out by Assad forces.