Clashes after surprise rebel assault in Damascus yesterday. -AP Rebels and jihadists on Tuesday launched a fresh assault on east Damascus, two days after Syrian government forces rebelled an initial attack just a few kilometers from the center of the capital.
An AFP journalist in east Damascus and a monitor both reported a large explosion at dawn followed by fierce clashes, shelling and government air strikes on opposition positions.
The renewed fighting in the capital, which saw rebels and jihadists make their largest incursions in east Damascus in years, came just two days before another round of UN-backed peace talks were set to get underway in Switzerland.
There was a big blast at dawn, most likely due to a car bomb attack by the rebels against a regime position between the districts of Jobar and Qabun, Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP.
-AFP, Damascus
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