( CNN ) -- Syrian rebels and an al-Qaeda-affiliated group have captured a government air base near the key city of Aleppo , an opposition group said . `` Early dawn today , the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and some rebel battalions took full control of the Menagh air base , '' the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights ( SOHR ) said Tuesday . `` The start of this new offensive started yesterday when two non-Syrian nationals blew themselves up in an armored vehicle in front of the command center of the Menagh air base , '' the group added . The SOHR said one suicide bomber was a Saudi Arabian . Fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and various rebel battalions destroyed several tanks and killed a number of regime soldiers , the observatory said . At least 10 rebel fighters , including foreigners , were also killed , the group added . The Islamic State of Iraq is the rebranded name for al Qaeda in Iraq . The group changed its name after its founder , Abu Musab al-Zarqawi , was killed by a U.S. missile strike in 2006 . The expanded term `` Islamic State of Iraq and Syria '' was spawned when the ISI moved into Syria . However , al Nusra Front -- a group inspired by al Qaeda that has fought alongside rebels in Syria -- has denied the existence of a merged group . The Menagh air base is north of Aleppo , Syria 's largest city and financial hub . For many months , rebels have tried to wrest control of the city in their attempt to topple four decades of rule by President Bashar al-Assad 's family . The Syrian regime downplayed reports that opposition fighters -- whom it calls `` terrorists '' -- had taken over Menagh air base . `` The heroes of our armed forces are confronting the terrorists with matchless valor , '' the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported . SANA said the airport is devoid of military equipment and aircraft and is not in service . Study shows rise of al Qaeda affiliate in Syria . Elsewhere , a car bomb exploded in Jarmana in southern Syria , killing 18 people , including three children , and wounding dozens more , the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency ( SANA ) reported Tuesday . CNN can not independently confirm casualty tolls as the Syrian government has severely restricted the access of international journalists . CNN 's Mohammed Tawfeeq , Nic Robertson and Paul Cruickshank contributed to this report .
New : A car bomb blast in southern Syria kills three people , including 18 children . The Menagh air base is near Aleppo , Syria 's largest city and financial hub . For Tuesday , rebels have tried to wrest control of The Islamic State of Iraq in the country 's civil war . The Islamic State of Iraq is the rebranded name for al Qaeda in Iraq .