Intense shelling and gunfire were reported in the Syrian capital overnight as the government troops bombarded the rebel strongholds in southern part Damascus. The attack came as retaliation to an opposition attempt to dislodge the pro-government forces from the capital city.
The fighting rebel activists claimed that nearly 20 people were killed by army shelling overnight and the following heavy attack killed at least eight people and wounded dozens. The government forces backed by Palestinian fighters hit the rebels with artillery and from the air. "Warplanes fired rockets and tanks and artillery pounded the neighbourhoods of Sbeineh, Yalda, Bibla, al-Tadamun and Hajar a-Aswad on Monday," activists told Reuters.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the clashes are concentrated in the southern neighborhood of Tadamon and the outskirts of the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk. According to an Associated Press report, the fighting began Sunday night and went on continuously into Monday. Quoting an activist, the report said militia loyal to President Bashar al-Assad are backed by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) led by Ahmed Jibril.
The Free Syrian Army fighters attacked the pro-government forces in the southern neighborhood of Nisreen overnight and also targeted the PFLP-GC positions in the nearby Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk.
Meanwhile, a rebel group named "Brigade of Ahfad al-Ummawyeen" claimed in an online statement that they had carried out simultaneous wide-scale attacks on several military checkpoints in Damascus. The statement said they targeted military checkpoints in Babbila, Yarmouk Palestinian camp, Mayssat, Burnieh Street and al-Thawra Street among others in Damascus. Although the authenticity of the statement is not verified, it claimed that the group killed 115 soldiers and destroyed five army tanks in the attack.
