Wife of ex-Brave Andruw Jones files for divorce

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP) — The wife of former Atlanta Braves star Andruw Jones filed for divorce about a week after she accused him of grabbing her neck and saying he wanted to kill her, according to a court document.
Nicole Jones said their 10-year marriage is "irretrievably broken," according to the divorce complaint filed in a suburban Atlanta court Monday. The filing does not mention a Christmas morning fight that prompted Nicole Jones to call police and led to Andruw Jones' arrest on a battery charge.
Nicole Jones' lawyer, John Mayoue, declined to comment Wednesday. It was not immediately clear whether Andruw Jones had a lawyer.
Nicole Jones is seeking joint legal and primary custody of the couple's 9-year-old son, the complaint said. She is asking for child support, alimony and half of the couple's property. She also wants a judge to declare their prenuptial agreement null and void.
The couple fought around 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 25 after Nicole Jones asked her husband to help prepare their home for Christmas morning, a Gwinnett County police report said. She tried to go upstairs, but her husband grabbed her by the ankle and dragged her down some stairs, the report said. He got on top of her and said, "I want to kill you," according to the report.
She was able to push him away because he was intoxicated and then she went to her parents' house, the report said.
Police said they found injuries on her neck, which they photographed for evidence.
When officers arrived at the Jones residence in the Sugarloaf Country Club in Duluth and approached him in a bedroom, they said he appeared to have passed out in his clothes and was confused about what had happened.
Gwinnett County jail records showed Andruw Jones was freed on bond after his arrest.
Jones earlier this month signed a $3.5 million, one-year contract with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan's Pacific League.

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Ray Lewis to retire after playoffs

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Ray Lewis spent 17 seasons instilling fear in his opponents while serving as an inspirational leader for the Baltimore Ravens.
Now he's poised and eager to become a full-time dad.
Lewis announced Wednesday he will end his brilliant NFL career after the Ravens complete their 2013 playoff run.
Lewis has been sidelined since Oct. 14 with a torn right triceps. The 13-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker intends to return Sunday to face the Indianapolis Colts in what will almost certainly be his final home game.
"Everything that starts has an end," the 37-year-old Lewis said. "For me, today, I told my team that this will be my last ride."
Lewis will walk away from the game because he wants to spend more time with his sons. While working to return from his injury, Lewis watched two of his boys play on the same high school football team in Florida. He intends to see Ray Lewis III perform as a freshman next year for the University of Miami, where the elder Lewis starred before the Ravens selected him in the first round of the 1996 draft.
"God is calling," Lewis said. "My children have made the ultimate sacrifice for their father for 17 years. I don't want to see them do that no more. I've done what I wanted to do in this business, and now it's my turn to give them something back."
That's why Lewis will pull off his No. 52 uniform for the last time after the Ravens lose or claim their second Super Bowl title.
"It's either (that or) hold onto the game and keep playing and let my kids miss out on times we can be spending together," Lewis said. "Because I always promised my son if he got a full ride on scholarship Daddy is going to be there, I can't miss that."
Lewis was the AP Defensive Player of the Year in 2000, the same season he was voted Super Bowl MVP following Baltimore's 34-7 rout of the New York Giants. Lewis was also Defensive Player of the Year in 2003, and is the only player in NFL history with at least 40 career sacks and 30 interceptions.
"I never played the game for individual stats," Lewis said. "I only played the game to make my team a better team."
Lewis has been with the Ravens since they moved from Cleveland. After being drafted 26th overall in Baltimore's first draft, Lewis became a fixture at middle linebacker — and a beloved figure in Baltimore. He remained that way even after his alleged involvement in a double-murder in Atlanta in early 2000.
In June of that year, a judge approved a deal allowing Lewis to avoid murder charges and jail time by pleading guilty to a misdemeanor and testifying against two co-defendants. Within a year, Lewis was in the Super Bowl, leading the Ravens to their only NFL championship.
Hundreds of games later, he's ready to call it a career.
"I'll make this last run with this team, and I'll give them everything I've got," he said. "When it ends, it ends. But I didn't come back for it to end in the first round."
The news of his decision to retire quickly resounded throughout the NFL.
Colts coach Chuck Pagano, who served as Lewis' defensive coordinator last year, said, "I thought, shoot, the guy could play forever and would play forever. Great person, great man, great player, just an unbelievable human being — what he's done for that organization, that city and for that matter, so many people. He's obviously a first-ballot Hall of Famer and will be sorely missed."
Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy said, "I don't know, at least in my time in the league, if there's been a defensive player that's had as big an impact. ... He's really an incredible example of leader. Talk about somebody opening up his chest and giving it to his football team."
Lewis was respected by his peers, too, even those who were on the receiving end of his crushing tackles.
"He definitely inspired me," Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson said. "Just the passion and how he is dedicated to his craft to be the best. You don't see too many guys who play like that. That's definitely what makes him the best linebacker to ever play the game."
Indianapolis standout linebacker Dwight Freeney said, "He's meant a lot to the league in general, but defensive guys especially. This is a league where the most focus goes on offense, quarterbacks and running backs, and very few times do you see a defensive guy get highlighted in commercials or whatever. You see Ray on there, so it's kind of like he's one of us. And you feel good when you see him, the things he's done for the game and how he motivates guys."
Lewis is the key figure in a defense that has long carried a reputation for being fierce, unyielding and downright nasty. He led the Ravens in tackles in 14 of his 17 seasons, the exceptions being those years in which he missed significant time with injuries (2002, 2005, 2012).
Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs, who is almost always upbeat, said of the announcement: "It was sad. It affected me, because for the past 10 years of my career I've been sitting right next to the man and going to war on Sundays. It's going to one hard last ride, and we need to make it one to remember."
When Lewis tore his triceps against Dallas, it was feared he was done for the season. But he would have none of that.
"From the time I got hurt, everything I've done up to this point has been to get back with my team to make another run at the Lombardi (Trophy)," he said.
Well, not everything. Lewis spent time watching his boys play football, which caused him to call his rehabilitation "bittersweet." After spending countless hours from Monday through Thursday working to return from the injury, he hopped on a plane toward Florida to be with his boys.
"I got to be there every Friday," Lewis said. "Me being who I am, not having a father myself, that damaged me a lot. I didn't want my kids to relive that.
"One of the hardest things in the world is to walk away from my teammates. But the now I'm going to step into other chapters of my life.
"I knew I couldn't split my time anymore. When God calls, he calls. And he's calling. More importantly, he calls me to be a father. It's OK to be Daddy. Yes, this chapter is closing, but the chapter that's opening is overwhelming. That's what excites me the most."
Lewis could have made the announcement during the offseason.
"I think my fans, my city, I think they deserved for me to just not walk away," he said. "We all get to enjoy what Sunday will feel like, knowing that this will be the last time 52 plays in a uniform in Ravens stadium.

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Playoff picks: Packers a good bet this time

Six days after Adrian Peterson blistered them for nearly 200 yards and helped lift his team to a stunning playoff berth, the Green Bay Packers get another taste of "A.D."
This time, they will deal with "All Day" Peterson at Lambeau Field. And in the playoffs.
The stakes are similar to last week for the Vikings, who would have been out of the playoffs had they lost to Green Bay, which already owned the division title. The venue, obviously, is different.
If that seems like a big edge for the Packers, well, they lost their last two postseason home games, both to the Giants, who went on to win the Super Bowl each time. They dropped a 31-14 verdict to Minnesota after the 2004 season, the only time in 104 matchups these NFC North rivals have met in the playoffs.
So Green Bay is 1-3 in recent home playoff games on the tundra. That doesn't diminish the challenge facing Minnesota, an 8-point underdog.
"It put us in a spot that we've been wanting to be, wanted to get here since April 23 of last year when we started OTAs," Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder said of the win over the Packers that got them a trip to Green Bay, where they lost 23-14 in the regular season.
"It's going to be tough going to Lambeau. Obviously it's an environment that's tough to play in, but we're hoping that a lot of our Vikings fans travel, just like there were some Green Bay fans at home this past week."
The shorter week won't matter to either side considering they faced off last weekend. At least it gives the Packers less time to watch video of the horror show their defense put on trying to slow down Peterson.
They'll do a better job this Saturday night.
BEST BET: PACKERS, 31-20
Indianapolis (plus 6½ ) at Baltimore
This could be Ray Lewis' final game; he announced Wednesday his plan to end his 17-year career that certainly should land him in the Hall of Fame.
There are much better ways to finish than chasing around the Colts' offense, which will be a difficult chore for the Ravens' defense. With Lewis sidelined for nearly three months with a triceps injury and Terrell Suggs not resembling the Defensive Player of the Year he was in 2011 as he plays while still recovering from an Achilles tendon injury, Baltimore can't count on shutting down opponents.
In previous seasons when the Ravens were a defensive power, Andrew Luck might be reduced to an overmatched rookie. Not now.
UPSET SPECIAL: COLTS, 23-17
Cincinnati (plus 5) at Houston
The Texans stumbled into the playoffs, losing three of four and blowing home-field advantage and a bye in the AFC. Cincinnati, on the other hand, won seven of its last eight with a staunch defense.
Houston made the postseason for the first time last year and promptly knocked off the Bengals in the wild-card round. Both teams are improved this season, and the key could be which side protects its quarterback better. Houston has J.J. Watt and Antonio Smith providing pressure on the quarterbacks. For Cincinnati, it's Geno Atkins and Michael Johnson.
Houston will do it better.
TEXANS, 24-20
Seattle (minus 1½) at Washington
The juiciest of the weekend's matchups features two streaking teams: Washington won its final seven games to take the NFC East, Seattle took its last five and seven of eight.
Rookie quarterbacks Robert Griffin III for the Redskins and Russell Wilson for the Seahawks have been sensational, like Indy's Luck. RG3 showed enough mobility in the win over Dallas to clinch the division, and his knee should be even stronger on Sunday to provide the double-threat potential that highlights his game.
Wilson is healthy and has similar skills. Even more encouraging for him is the Seahawks have an intimidating, resourceful defense with the speed to slow down Washington's offense. Seattle also has learned how to win on the road.

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Ravens linebacker Lewis to retire at end of season

 Baltimore Ravens' linebacker Ray Lewis, a 13-time Pro Bowler and one of the NFL's most ferocious defensive players, announced on Wednesday he was retiring after this season's playoffs.
"This will be my last ride," Lewis, 37, said in a statement.
The AFC North champion Ravens are hosting the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in the opening round of the playoffs, but it was not yet certain Lewis would be activated for the game.
Lewis has not played since he tore his triceps during a Week Six win over the Dallas Cowboys in October.
The inside linebacker, twice the NFL Defensive Player of the Year and most valuable player in Baltimore's 2001 Super Bowls, issued his statement after addressing team mates.
"I can't picture Baltimore without him," running back Ray Rice told reporters about the Ravens' first-round pick of the 1996 NFL draft, who spent his entire 17-year career with the Ravens.
As word of Lewis's retirement spread tributes poured in from across the league on social media from both past and present players.
"I'd like to take a moment to honor a great career and player in @raylewis a worthy opponent," praised Detroit Lions Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders on his Twitter account.
"Best Overall LBer and Leader in NFL history," echoed former-New York Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce.
Lewis has long been the inspirational heart of the Ravens, firing up the team mates as they huddled around him before the opening kickoff, and then leading by example with his furious play on the gridiron.
"I talked to my team today and I talked to them about life in general. Everything that starts has an end. It's just life," said Lewis, who said he was at peace with his decision and was looking forward to spending more time with his two sons.
"I've done it, man. There's no accolade that I don't have individually but I've never played the game for individual stats. I've only played the game to make my team be a better team."
Lewis went from a scary low to the heights of the National Football League in one year after he was held in an Atlanta jail in the early morning hours after the 2000 Super Bowl, linked to a double-killing outside a nightclub.
By May, the matter was settled when Lewis pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice and was fined $250,000 by the NFL.
One year after the fatal incident, Lewis was named MVP of Baltimore's Super Bowl triumph over the New York Giants in Tampa as the unquestioned leader of a defense that set a record for fewest points allowed in a 16-game season.
Lewis said he intends to play when the Ravens host the Colts in what would likely be his last game in Baltimore, since the team enters the playoffs as the fourth-seeded team in the AFC.
His next football stop is bound to be in Canton, Ohio, for enshrinement to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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Puerto Rico sees hints of baseball revival

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — On an island where the name of Roberto Clemente is emblazoned on stadiums, streets and schools, baseball is making a rally.
In the past year, Major League Baseball reported the second-highest number of signings from Puerto Rico since 2000. The U.S. territory also has seen the opening of new baseball academies and an expansion of its winter league teams, whose tournament this year is dedicated to Clemente four decades after his death.
Clemente died in a plane crash off Puerto Rico's north coast on Dec. 31, 1972, while helping deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Thousands mourned the loss of the Hall of Famer who won 12 Gold Glove awards and whose name is on the yearly honor for the MLB player who best exemplifies sportsmanship and community involvement.
"I always think of Clemente because he did so much in so many ways to help the game, people of his country, everything," Commissioner Bud Selig said. "How he died was a great testament to his desire to help other human beings. He was an amazing guy. Amazing on the field, better off the field."
Puerto Rico has since been searching for its next Clemente ever since. Orlando Cepeda, Roberto Alomar, Ivan Rodriguez, Bernie Williams, Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran all debuted in the late 1980s and '90s, a period regarded as Puerto Rico's golden era. The nation's influence has waned since then.
There are only 18 Puerto Rican-born players in the major leagues, the lowest number since 1968, and down from 29 in 2011 and a record 53 in 2001. The number of regular-season MLB games played in Puerto Rico has dropped from 23 in 2003 to only three in 2010. The Puerto Rico Baseball League canceled play in 2007 for the first time, citing a drop in attendance and profits.
Local baseball officials have blamed the first-year player draft for the changes. Since 1990, Puerto Rican players are required to complete high school before competing with players from the U.S. and Canada for a professional contract. The rule does not apply to other countries such as the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, where players can sign as free agents and where recruiters have invested millions in baseball academies.
Officials call the draft unfair, saying the island has substandard training, facilities and programs compared with the mainland U.S.
"Our boys are at a disadvantage," baseball historian Humberto Charneco said. "In the U.S., there is a great methodology in preparing players, providing them guidance and advanced training. In Puerto Rico, there are no facilities to do that."
In 2007, Puerto Rico Sports Secretary David Bernier unsuccessfully asked for a 10-year moratorium on the draft to help the island adjust, arguing that recruiters were focusing on other Latin American countries.
Edwin Rodriguez, former manager of the Florida Marlins, said the rise in popularity of soccer and basketball is also to blame, along with a lack of good baseball coaches and training programs. He dismissed the idea that the draft had led to a drop in players.
"Puerto Ricans have always had to compete against the Americans, the Canadians, the Dominicans," he said. "If one is a prospect at 16, one is a prospect at 18. No one can convince me that a Roberto Alomar at 16 was not going to have the same talent at 18. That for me is very hard to digest."
There are signs of a baseball revival.
The Puerto Rico Baseball League has added two more teams for a total of six, and this year was renamed the Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League.
"In a firm commitment to Puerto Rico baseball and its fans, we will turn the league into a stepping stone to promote the development and improvement of young talents," said Hector Rivera, the league's president.
There was also a surge of fresh interest in the sport after 17-year-old shortstop Carlos Correa became the first Puerto Rican to be the first overall pick in the draft, receiving a $4.8 million signing bonus with the Houston Astros in June. Previously, the highest-drafted player out of Puerto Rico was catcher Ramon Castro, who went No. 17 to Houston in 1994.
"Puerto Rico baseball is rising little by little," Correa said. "A lot more young players began dedicating themselves to the sport and saw that it could be done."
Correa is a graduate of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy and High School, which receives $400,000 each year from MLB and has produced athletes who have been drafted or awarded scholarships at Division I universities in recent years.
"The talent that we're seeing now, we will likely see it knock on the doors of the major leagues in the next four to six years," said Lucy Batista, the school's headmaster.
Correa's achievement also has stirred interest in recreational baseball players across Puerto Rico, with teams in some towns being forced to wait in line to play at public fields. Using Correa's popularity as a platform, MLB plans to start tournaments and after-school programs across the island to further stimulate interest in the sport, said Kim Ng, the organization's senior vice president for baseball operations.
"I think that we're on the upswing there," she said. "Carlos Correa being the first pick in the draft this past year is more indicative of what's going on in Puerto Rico, and I think it has to a certain extent reinvigorated the game down there."
The importance of local academies is key. Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Hiram Burgos said he enrolled in the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy in 10th grade and graduated in 2005.
"I developed immensely," he said of his time there. "I added almost 10 miles to my speed as a pitcher."
Rodriguez, the former Marlins manager, said he anticipates a spike in talented baseball players from Puerto Rico in the next 10 to 15 years, thanks to the academies. And while he believes that another Clemente could be in the works, he warned against expectations that Puerto Rico would see a second golden era.
"It's not fair to compare what's happening now to the time of the Roberto Alomars, Carlos Baergas," he said. "That was a cycle. It is very, very rare for that to happen, not only in Puerto Rico, but in any state in the United States.

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Iran warns foreign planes near Strait of Hormuz

Iran's navy issued dozens of warnings to foreign planes and warships that approached its forces during a five-day sea maneuver near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a semi-official news agency reported Tuesday.
Mehr quoted Adm. Amir Rastgari, spokesman for the exercise, as saying that naval and air defense forces on 30 occasions warned off reconnaissance planes, drones and warships belonging to "extraregional forces" that approached the drill, using a term that the Islamic Republic commonly employs to refer to the militaries of the U.S. and its allies.
The five-day naval drill, dubbed Velayat-91, is Iran's latest show of strength in the face of mounting pressures over its disputed nuclear program. The West suspects it may be aimed at producing nuclear weapons, a charge Iran denies.
Iran has threatened to close the strait over Western sanctions but has not repeated the threats lately. The strait is the passageway for one-fifth of the world's oil supply.
Rastgari said the aircraft and warships heeded the warnings and stayed away.
"Various reconnaissance aircraft that sought to penetrate into the drill area were given warnings by the navy and the Khatam-ol-Anbia (air defense force) ... Subsequently, the intelligence planes and drones distanced from the area after receiving the warnings," Rastgari said.
Iran has used the maneuvers to highlight recently-developed weapons systems.
State TV said "Ghader," or "Capable," a sea-launched anti-ship missile with a range of 200 kilometers (120 miles), was among the weapons used in the final day of navy drills Tuesday.
Ghader missile was delivered in late 2011 to the Iranian military and the powerful Revolutionary Guard's naval division, which is assigned to protect Iran's sea borders. Iranian officials say the missile can skim the sea to avoid detection and can sink large warships.
TV said the navy also used another anti-ship missile, dubbed Noor, or Light, during the drill. It showed several missiles being fired and hitting their targets at sea. Reports on the maneuvers say Iran also used its electronic warfare systems.
Iran's growing arsenal includes short- and medium-range ballistic missiles that are capable of hitting targets in the region such as Israel and U.S. military bases in the Gulf.
Iran began a military self-sufficiency program in 1992, under which it produces a large range of weapons, including tanks, missiles, jet fighters, unmanned drone aircraft and torpedoes.
The maneuvers cover nearly 1 million sq. kilometers (400,000 sq. miles) from the Strait of Hormuz to the northern part of the Indian Ocean, including the Gulf of Oman.

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Saudis flee dry kingdom to Bahrain for New Year

 Residents of Saudi Arabia, where booze and New Year's celebrations are banned, flooded into neighboring Bahrain in search of festivities to ring in 2013.
More than 80,000 cars crossed a causeway over the Gulf to Bahrain Monday night to celebrate New Year's Eve, the Saudi newspaper Al-Youm reported on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia adheres to a strict interpretation of Islam and bans alcohol as well as celebrations of Christmas and New Year's Eve. It also prohibits unrelated men and women from mingling.
Saudis and foreign residents of the oil-rich kingdom frequently take the half-hour drive across the causeway to Bahrain on weekends, filling bars, movie theaters and hotels in the capital Manama. Some conservative Bahraini lawmakers, however, want the government to ban alcohol and close nightclubs.
Al-Youm said a few hours before midnight, the line of cars waiting to cross King Fahd bridge stretched for a half-mile with traffic police, security and passport officers out in force to keep the revelers flowing.

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Iraqi Shiite cleric lends support to Sunni protest

 A top anti-American Shiite cleric lent support Tuesday to Sunni protesters who have been rallying against Iraq's Shiite-dominated central government, increasing pressure on the leadership in Baghdad.
Hard-line religious leader Muqtada al-Sadr told reporters in the Shiite holy city of Najaf that the demonstrators have the right to protest as long as they are peaceful. He stopped short of calling for a wider uprising like those that have rippled across the region over the past two years, but warned of further unrest if demands on the street are not met.
"Beware of the Arab Spring in Iraq," the firebrand cleric said in a warning to the power-sharing government led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite.
Thousands of protesters have been holding rallies in the western desert province of Anbar and other Sunni strongholds for more than a week.
The demonstrations follow the arrest of bodyguards assigned to the Sunni finance minister, Rafia al-Issawi, though they tap into deeper Sunni grievances of perceived discrimination by al-Maliki's government. The protesters' demands include guarantees of better government services and release of prisoners in Iraqi jails.
Al-Sadr has a complex relationship with Baghdad and with Iraqi blocs outside his conservative Shiite power base.
He grudgingly backed longtime rival al-Maliki following elections in 2010, then last year joined Iraq's minority Sunni Arabs and Kurds in calling for al-Maliki to resign. Al-Sadr's loyalists hold 40 seats in parliament and retain control of several government ministries.
He said Tuesday that al-Maliki "bears full responsibility" for the discontent among Iraqis calling for change.
Still, the cleric's backing is not unequivocal. He expressed hope that protesters would not advocate a return to dictatorship or pursue a sectarian agenda.
Iraq's majority Shiites, including al-Sadr and al-Maliki, rose to political prominence following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that ousted dictator Saddam Hussein's Sunni-dominated regime.
"As long as the demonstrations are peaceful and don't seek to dismantle Iraq ... we are with the protests, and parliament should be with them, not against them," he said. "The demands of demonstrators are legitimate and popular, so they should be met."
The staying power and level of anger among the Anbar protesters in particular appears to have caught Iraqi leaders off guard.
At least two people were wounded on Sunday when bodyguards and security forces protecting a senior Sunni politician opened fire to disperse protesters, marking the first casualties since the demonstrations began. The politician, Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq, blamed the incident on "rogue elements" within the crowd.
The unrest comes as Iraq struggles to maintain its security and stability a year after the last U.S. combat troops left.
British monitoring group Iraq Body Count said in its annual report Tuesday that it recorded 4,471 civilian deaths from violence in Iraq during 2012, up from 4,136 in 2011. The non-governmental organization has consistently attempted to record Iraqi civilian casualties since the invasion in March 2003.
A wave of attacks that primarily targeted Iraqi Shiites and the ethnically disputed city of Kirkuk killed at least 26 people on Monday.

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Heavy clashes in suburbs of Syrian capital

 Activists and state media are reporting heavy clashes and shelling in suburbs of the Syrian capital of Damascus and other parts of the country.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says some of the heaviest fighting is taking place in the Damascus suburb of Daraya.
The fighting showed rebel strength in the area of capital as the 22-month civil war drags on.
The Observatory and activist Mohammed Saeed, who is based near Damascus, say Syrian warplanes took part in bombing Daraya on Tuesday.
State-run news agency SANA said troops killed "tens of terrorists" in Daraya and nearby areas. The regime refers to rebels as "terrorists."
Daraya is few miles (kilometers) from the strategic military air base of Mazzeh, a western neighborhood of the capital.

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Clashes near Syrian capital, Aleppo airport closed

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian troops and rebels fought Tuesday in suburbs of Damascus as well as near Aleppo's airport, stopping all flights in and out of the northern city, activists and state media said.
The intense fighting underlined the rebels' tenacity in the capital and around Aleppo, Syria's largest city, but also the determination of the Bashar Assad regime to carry on fighting. Activists say more than 45,000 people have been killed in the 22-month civil war.
In the past few weeks, rebels have stepped up their attacks on airports in Aleppo province, trying to chip away at the air power that poses the biggest challenge to their advances against Assad's forces.
The Syrian air force has been bombing and strafing rebel positions and attacking towns under opposition control, but the rebels have no planes or effective anti-aircraft weapons to counter the attacks.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the fighting around the base of Syrian army Brigade 80, part of a force protecting Aleppo's airport, led to the closure of the airport late Monday.
"Heavy fighting is taking place around Brigade 80," said Rami Abdul-Rahman who heads the Observatory. The Observatory relies on a network of activists around Syria. "The airport has been closed since yesterday."
The Syrian government had no comment on the closing of the airport. On Saturday, Syria's national airline canceled a flight to Aleppo because of fighting nearby.
Rebels have warned that they would target civilian as well as military planes using the Aleppo International Airport, saying the regime is using civilian planes to bring in supplies and weapons.
The rebels have been attacking three other airports in the Aleppo area, including a military helicopter base near the Turkish border.
Rebels have posted dozens of videos online showing fighters shooting mortars, homemade rockets and sniper rifles at targets inside the bases.
Activists also reported heavy fighting in the Damascus suburb of Daraya.
The Observatory and activist Mohammed Saeed, who is based near Damascus, said Syrian warplanes took part in bombing Daraya on Tuesday.
State-run news agency SANA said troops killed "tens of terrorists" in Daraya and nearby areas. The regime refers to rebels as "terrorists."
Daraya is few kilometers (miles) from the strategic military air base of Mazzeh in a western neighborhood of the capital.
Amateur videos showed smoke billowing from Daraya from what activists said were the air raids. Another video showed a street covered with debris as fire raged on the second floor of a five-story building.
The videos appeared genuine and corresponded to other AP reporting on the events depicted.

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