Manned U.S. warplanes taking off from a base in Turkey have begun attacking sites in Syria in the latest escalation of the U.S.-led war against the self-proclaimed Islamic State, or ISIL. The U.S. strikes come as the Syrian government bombarded areas surrounding Damascus on Wednesday, killing 31 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Another 13 people died from rocket strikes launched into Damascus by rebel groups.