Syrian Army Hits Rebel Positions in Damascus
Al-Huriya News Agency - The Syrian army has killed at least 26 people in suburbs of the capital Damascus in fighting with rebels in several districts along the eastern edge of the capital, activists have said.
President Bashar Assad's forces have been seeking for months to solidify their hold on Damascus by dislodging opposition fighters from the towns and neighbourhoods on the city's fringes.
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an NGO monitoring the developments in the war-torn country, reported heavy fighting and air strikes on Mleiha, a neighbourhood in the east of the capital, and the nearby Damascus district of Jobar.
Observatory director Rami Abdurrahman said at least 26 rebels have been killed in the clashes since Thursday.
Early on Friday, a series of government air raids targeted Mleiha, killing at least seven people, Ammar al-Hassan, an activist based near Mleiha, told the Associated Press news agency.
"There are very fierce clashes today and the bombardment is very intense," al-Hassan said.
He also said the government was focusing on Mleiha because of its location along the main road that links Damascus with Eastern Ghouta, which has long been a predominantly rebel-controlled area.
