Syrian rebels attacked two military airports in the northern province of Idlib on Thursday, opposition activists said, dpa reported.
The rebels damaged at least five helicopters and more than six F16 fighter jets in the Taftanaz and Abu al-Zouhour airports.
Government forces were shelling areas around the airports from early Thursday, according to the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Overnight, demonstrators took to the streets in the northern provinces of Idlib, Aleppo, and the central regions of Hama and Homs, chanting slogans against President Bashar al-Assad, who vowed to fight on to defeat the rebels.
"We will not bow ... despite the tyrant's threats," chanted the protesters.
In an interview Wednesday with pro-government al-Duniya television, al-Assad said that his forces needed more time to win the war against the rebels, and described defectors as "weak and cowards."
Bassam Jaraa, an opposition member based in London, said: "When you hear this man (al-Assad) speaking you feel he lives in another world and away from reality."
Meanwhile, at the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit, which opened in Tehran on Thursday, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi said: "We must recognize that this bloodshed cannot stop without active intervention by all of us."
The UN Security Council was to meet later Thursday to discuss the humanitarian situation in Syria. dpa wh nes ar Authors: Weedah Hamzah, Nehal El-Sherif