Beirut -
Syrian activists say President Bashar Assad's troops and rebels are fighting for control of key northern districts in Damascus.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says intense clashes are concentrated in the capital's neighbourhoods of Jobar and Barzeh.
A resident in the area says shelling overnight “shook apartments” and terrified people living in the neighbourhoods. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was afraid for his safety.
Clashes subsided by early Wednesday but sporadic gunfire is still being heard in contested areas of Damascus.
Fighting also raged in other Syrian cities, including Homs, where the regime pounded rebel positions with artillery and carried out several airstrikes on the Baba Amr district, which the rebels have been trying to recapture from the troops for days. - Sapa-AP