Airstrike Injures Journalist Near Aleppo [VIDEO]

A television journalist suffered serious injuries to his face Thursday after an airstrike close to where he was reporting in Syria.

The correspondent, Ebrahim al-Khateeb, from the opposition-affiliated Orient News channel, was recording a piece on camera near Handarat to the north of Aleppo when there was a loud explosion. A piece of shrapnel was briefly seen flying into the reporter's face.

The reporter was taken to hospital with blood streaming from his face. Orient News, which is based in Dubai, says al-Khateeb is now in a stable condition.

Syrian government forces and their allies are focused on the area around Handarat Camp, overlooking an important access point held by rebels into the city of Aleppo, which is split into zones held by the government and opposition.

Fighting near Aleppo has been escalating for two weeks, mostly to the south of the city where government forces backed by Lebanon's Hezbollah and other militias have been waging fierce battles with rebels including Nusra Front fighters.