Syria: Fighting intensifies in Damascus
Lebanese men wave pre-Baath flags, that were adopted by the Syrian revolution during the uprising, as they celebrate in the centee of Lebanon’s northern town of Tripoli on July 18, 2012, the death of Syrian defense minister General Daoud Rajha in a suicide attack targeting the National Security headquarters in central Damascus.
Syria's war has returned to its capital, but unlike in Aleppo, it's the regime that has the upper hand.
According to the Guardian, rebel forces are not able to receive reinforcements against the standing military, which is continuing to outman and outgun them. Additionally, according to reports, new weapons aren't making their way to the rebels.
The violence has also been progressively getting worse, the Guardian reported. This month alone, 5,000 people have died.
The New York Times reported that in Damascus's suburb of Daraya, 74 people have killed by shelling and in raids in the past two days. An activist who spoke from Daraya to the NY Times, said that Daraya "is considered a gathering spot for rebel commanders and is a hub for resources that serve the opposition."
The new international envoy to the region, Lakhdar Brahimi has said that he is "scared" of the task he has been handed, as he attempts to end the conflict, AFP reported.
Brahimi is a veteran Algerian diplomat who is responsible for the 1989 accord that ended civil war in Lebanon.
"We will try to help as much as we can, we will not spare any effort,” he said, AFP reported.