Heavy fighting around Syrian capital

[Adsos Letter]

Source: Reuters

State forces and rebels were locked in heavy fighting in several areas outside Damascus on Tuesday, activists said, in the worst violence to hit the suburbs of the Syrian capital since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began 16 months ago.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/26/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE85D0IS20120626

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1. BBC: Fierce fighting erupts near Damascus

In other developments on Tuesday:

The head of UN peacekeeping operations, Herve Ladsous, said the monitoring mission in Syria would remain suspended because of mounting violence

Russia said its foreign minister Sergei Lavrov would attend an international conference on Syria which special envoy Kofi Annan hopes to hold in Geneva on 30 June

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that clashes happened overnight and into Tuesday near Republican Guard positions in Qadsaya and al-Hama, around 8km (5 miles) from the centre of Damascus.

Correspondents say it is rare for fighting to take place near Republican Guard bases and suggests a growing confidence among the rebels.

The elite Republican Guard, commanded by President Bashar al-Assad's younger brother Maher, is tasked with protecting the capital.

more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18598529