BEIRUT — Syrian state media and anti-government activists say the minaret of the famed Umayyad Mosque in Aleppo has been destroyed. But the two sides offered different explanations for what brought it down Wednesday. The state news agency says rebels from the Al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat Al-Nusra group blew it up. Aleppo-based activist Mohammed Al-Khatib says a Syrian army tank fired a shell that “totally destroyed” the minaret. The 12th century mosque fell into rebel hands earlier this year after heavy fighting that damaged the historic compound. The area around it, however, remains contested. Syrian troops are about 200 meters (yards) away. The mosque and nearby medieval market are centerpieces of Aleppo's walled Old City, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. — AP
