Syrian rebels claim capture of air base

Heavy clashes erupted across Syria on Saturday while government forces battled opposition fighters in various cities.

Here are the latest key developments in the nearly 18-month crisis:

On the ground: Shelling, ground battles rage on

At least 162 people died across Syria on Saturday, including 55 in and around Damascus, opposition activists said.

Several political activists reported that regime forces raided a hospital in the Damascus suburb of Kafar Batna, killed medical staff, and wounded patients. They said regime forces later burned the hospital.

The Local Coordination Committees of Syria, an opposition group, said the regime forces had targeted the hospital in the past because it treated protesters.

Rebel forces captured a military air force base to prevent airstrikes and shelling of civilians, a member of the opposition told CNN Saturday.

The opposition fighters laid siege to the air base for 11 days before raiding it, Ridha Al-Alwani said via Skype from the border city of Albu Kamal in Deir Ezzour province.

A Free Syrian Army spokesman confirmed taking control of the Air Defense battalion headquarters in Albu Kamal. The spokesman said the government was using the base to launch strikes against residential neighborhoods.

The military, however, still controls two other bases that it used to launch airstrikes following the rebel attack, Al-Alwani said.