DAMASCUS, Syria (CNN) -- Syrian government warplanes targeted a northern town Thursday, hitting a gas station and triggering an explosion that killed at least 55 people, opposition forces said.

It's the latest salvo in Syria's bloody 18-month-old civil war that shows no sign of letting up. Dozens were wounded in the airstrike in Raqqa province that two opposition groups said were carried out by Syrian government aircraft.



The strike comes a day after rebels seized a border crossing in Raqqa near Syria's border with Turkey.

The number of people killed Thursday in Syria was 173, according to the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria.

Earlier Thursday, five people were reported killed from aerial shelling of residential neighborhoods in Aleppo, and MiG warplane shelling was reported in Damascus countryside villages, the LCC said.

Here's a roundup of other developments in Syria's bloody conflict:

Helicopter crash

Syria's rebels and government offered different stories about what caused a helicopter to crash Thursday morning in a suburb of Damascus.

The government said the chopper clipped the tail of a passenger plane, causing no injuries to the passengers. But the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebel forces downed the helicopter.

There have been no confirmed reports on whether anyone was injured or killed on the helicopter, which crashed near the Damascus suburb of Douma.

The plane, carrying about 200 passengers, landed safely at Damascus airport after the incident, according to Syrian state TV.

Foreign fighters in Syria

Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad killed more than 100 foreign fighters Thursday, described as "Afghani terrorists," who were holed up at a school in Aleppo, according to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency.

The agency did not say when or how the fighters were killed, nor did it spell out details about how Syrian forces determined they were Afghan fighters.

Syria's government has long insisted that extremists and terrorists from other countries are helping Syria's rebel forces. SANA reported that "terrorists" trying to enter Syria from Lebanon were foiled Wednesday night.

Kidnapping reported

Armed rebels kidnapped a religious endowments director in the southwestern Syrian city of Daraa, while "terrorists" shot and killed a government official in the northern city of Hasaka, according to SANA.

Muammar al-Shahadat, who oversaw operations in the provinces of Daraa and Sweida, was seized by "armed terrorists" in a vehicle, SANA said.

The news agency identified the slain government official as Marwan al-Husein, who oversaw the production department at the branch of the Military Housing Establishment in Hasaka.

More sanctions?

Friends of the Syrian People, a group of more than 60 countries working for regime change in Syria, considered tightening economic sanctions against the country's government Thursday.

Participants include all the European Union countries, the United States, Canada, Australia, all the Gulf states, Jordan, Turkey, members of the Arab League and other nations. They met at The Hague in the Netherlands.

"By imposing sanctions, we are sending an important message and helping to further isolate the regime. But sanctions will only have an impact if they are carried out effectively. That is how we can make a difference," Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal said.

Russian aid

A Russian aircraft carrying 38 tons of food supplies for beleaguered Syrians arrived Thursday in Damascus, according to SANA.

Alexander Bogdanov, deputy director of the emergencies department at the Russian Ministry of Extraordinary Situations, said the supplies included sugar, meat, milk and canned fish.

"This aid is evidence of Russia's principled stances toward Syria and the strong and solid relations between the Syrian and Russian governments and peoples," said Hassan Hijazi, Syria's assistant minister of social affairs and labor.

CNN's Hamdi Alkhshali, Amir Ahmed and Joe Sterling contributed to this report.