With one more week left to go, August is already the deadliest month in Syria's 17-month crisis. Opposition activists report more than 3,700 people killed -- mostly civilians. Here are some of the other key developments on the crisis that spirals out of control: On the ground: A war of words from Aleppo The Syrian military's frontal assault on the opposition appears to be ratcheting up, with indiscriminate bombings from jets and rockets fired into civilian areas. More than 10 missiles landed in Idlib province as planes opened fire with machine guns, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said. Meanwhile, residents in Aleppo endured "intense aerial shelling" by a regime warplane Saturday, the LCC said. The Syrian government had a different take on the situation in Aleppo, the commercial and cultural heart of Syria: "Armed forces continue pursuing terrorists in Aleppo and its countryside," state-run media proclaimed. "Armed forces destroy seven cars equipped with machine guns, kill terrorists and seize their weapons in Aleppo city." The region: Bloodshed spills across borders At least three people were killed and 18 wounded Friday in clashes in the neighboring Lebanese city of Tripoli, Lebanon's NNA news agency reported. The Syrian civil war has aggravated decades-old quarrels between Alawite- and Sunni-dominated neighborhoods in Tripoli. The strife between Alawite Muslims and Sunni Muslims in Tripoli mirrors the conflict in Syria, where al-Assad's regime is dominated by minority Alawites and the opposition is composed largely of Sunnis. Diplomatic front: Brahimi says the Syrian people are "our first masters" Lakhdar Brahimi is the new U.N. and Arab League envoy to Syria, but he said the Syrian people will be "our first masters." "We will consider their interests above and before anyone else," the Algerian and longtime U.N. diplomat said Friday. Brahimi, who is replacing Kofi Annan after months of fizzled attempts to broker peace in Syria, told the U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon of his anxiety about the new post: "Secretary-general, when you called me, I told you that I was honored, flattered, humbled and scared, and still in that frame of mind. I will definitely give this my very, very best," he said. The Syrian crisis broke out in March 2011 after protesters, inspired by the success of popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, took to the streets demanding political reform and an end to four decades of al-Assad family rule. The movement devolved into an armed conflict after a brutal crackdown by al-Assad's forces. Opposition forces say more than 21,000 people have died.