Syrian army missile kills 13, including 8 kids

This photo provided by the anti-government activist group Aleppo Media Center (AMC), which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows a Syrian young inspecting the rubble of houses that were destroyed by airstrikes from the Syrian government forces in Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, May 18, 2014. Syrian rebels captured a village in northwestern Syria on Sunday, killing more than a dozen government troops in heavy clashes and prompting the military to carry out airstrikes to try to dislodge the fighters, activists said. (AP Photo/Aleppo Media Center)

BEIRUT (AP) — A missile crashed into a rebel-held Syrian town while most people were at home sleeping, killing 13 people, activists said Tuesday.

The attack on northern town of Marea occurred late Monday, said a local activist who uses the name Abu al-Hassan. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported the attack.

Those killed included an entire family composed of Mohammed Jafar, 70, his 40-year-old wife and their eight children. Abu al-Hassan said the Jafar's first wife died years ago, and he married for a second time. He said the marriage gave the retired mechanic a new lease on life: he decided to enroll in high school, and graduated when he was about 60, Abu al-Hassan said.

"He wanted to go to university but his grades weren't very good," according to al-Hassan, who said he used to attend annual exams with the man.

Abu Al-Hassan said he wasn't aware of any fighting in the area. He said the nearest front was 15 miles away (25 kilometers) in the area of Bureij.

A government airstrike also killed 10 people in the nearby northern town of Azaz early Tuesday, according to the Observatory.

Rights groups and local activists say #Syrian military forces often indiscriminately strike rebel-held areas with projectiles that can't be targeted properly, overwhelmingly killing civilians. Yahoo News