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Two journalists covering the war in Syria have died in two regions long engulfed in battle, CNN reported. 

A longtime globe-trotting war reporter and "battlefield junkie" who once had been a mercenary fighter in Africa has been killed in the conflict-ravaged city of Aleppo, the French presidential palace confirmed Friday.

Yves Debay worked for Assaut ("Assault," in English), a French magazine based in the Paris area.

Al Jazeera Media Network announced that a sniper had killed Mohamed Al-Massalma, a freelance correspondent in Syria.

The 33-year-old Syrian journalist, who used the pseudonym Mohamed Al-Hoorani, was struck by three bullets while covering fighting at the front lines in the town of Busra Al-Harir in the countryside of Daraa, the network said in a statement.

"He was known for his courage and accuracy of the news he provided from Daraa and the surrounding areas," Al Jazeera said.

Daraa, near Jordan, is where the Syrian uprising unfolded in March 2011.

Aleppo, Syria's most populous city located in the north, has been devastated by fighting between President Bashar al-Assad's forces and rebel fighters.

France mourned Debay on Friday.

"The President of the Republic, speaking on behalf of France, expresses his deep emotion at the death of Yves Debay, French journalist killed in Aleppo, Syria while he was reporting," the palace said.

"France condemns this heinous act and expresses its condolences, sympathy and solidarity to the family and friends of Yves Debay. France pays tribute to Yves Debay and other journalists in Syria, who are paying with their lives for their commitment to freedom of information."