[h=3]By NOUR MALAS in Damascus and JOE PARKINSON in Hatay Province, Turkey[/h]
Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesSyrians leave the center of Aleppo late Thursday, as residents reported government shelling in the city as well as in areas of the capital, Damascus.
Thousands of residents in Syria's two largest cities fled their neighborhoods Thursday to escape violence, as the military built up its presence around rebel strongholds in Aleppo and renewed attacks on parts of Damascus.
Residents of two Damascus suburbs said government forces bombed their neighborhoods overnight with fighter jets and helicopters. Across the capital, extended families fleeing the Daraya, Qudsaya and the Yalda suburbs piled into public schools, vacant apartment blocks and cheap hotels.
[h=3]Syria in the Spotlight[/h]Take a look back over the highlights of the past year in Syria in a timeline, and review the latest events in a map.
The latest attacks shattered a three-day calm that had settled on the capital as the battle between government and opposition forces had appeared to shift to Aleppo, about 220 miles north.
In both Damascus and Aleppo, the conflict is localized—with some districts under heavy shelling while bordering neighborhoods are unscathed. In Basateen al-Mezze, on Damascus's western edge, a tank assault last week turned a narrow, winding road of low-rise homes into an open area of collapsed concrete, contorted metal and crushed cars. Amid the rubble was an inflatable baby pool, a swing and a melon rotting in the summer sun.
In most parts of the capital, however, many Syrians have for days praised the return of relative normalcy after Damascus was paralyzed last week by a government offensive against opposition fighters.
AFP/Getty ImagesRebels hunted for snipers in Selehattin, near Aleppo, Monday.
The reprieve appeared short-lived. Starting in the late afternoon, deep booms from artillery attacks on a handful of suburbs, as well as two districts in the southern part of Damascus, reverberated across the city.
Many shops closed early. Streets emptied before nightfall. Government soldiers manned impromptu security checkpoints built from cinder blocks and tree-branches, blocking two highways that ring the city. "My fear is it's the calm before the storm," said a mother of three in Malki, an upscale Damascus neighborhood.
Opponents of President Bashar al-Assad have framed their recent advances into Damascus and Aleppo as decisive battles. But the rebel movement into the two largest cities appears to be more like a trickle in a conflict that is already killing dozens daily and displacing thousands across the rest of the country. "Every day, it looks more like a war of attrition," said a Western diplomat in Damascus.
At least 163 rebels, government forces and civilians died in Thursday's fighting, according to U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Most of the casualties were reported in Aleppo and the Damascus suburbs. State media said government forces were "closing in on the terrorists and cleansing many areas" around the country.
The mother of three said she had slept in her kitchen for three days amid last week's fighting, and sent her children to neighboring Lebanon. "I thought I saw death last week," said the woman. "That feeling comes back with every boom."
Thousands of residents in Syria's two largest cities fled their neighborhoods Thursday to escape violence, as the military built up its presence around rebel strongholds in Aleppo and renewed attacks on parts of Damascus.
Residents of two Damascus suburbs said government forces bombed their neighborhoods overnight with fighter jets and helicopters. Across the capital, extended families fleeing the Daraya, Qudsaya and the Yalda suburbs piled into public schools, vacant apartment blocks and cheap hotels.
[h=3]Syria in the Spotlight[/h]Take a look back over the highlights of the past year in Syria in a timeline, and review the latest events in a map.
The latest attacks shattered a three-day calm that had settled on the capital as the battle between government and opposition forces had appeared to shift to Aleppo, about 220 miles north.
In both Damascus and Aleppo, the conflict is localized—with some districts under heavy shelling while bordering neighborhoods are unscathed. In Basateen al-Mezze, on Damascus's western edge, a tank assault last week turned a narrow, winding road of low-rise homes into an open area of collapsed concrete, contorted metal and crushed cars. Amid the rubble was an inflatable baby pool, a swing and a melon rotting in the summer sun.
In most parts of the capital, however, many Syrians have for days praised the return of relative normalcy after Damascus was paralyzed last week by a government offensive against opposition fighters.
AFP/Getty ImagesRebels hunted for snipers in Selehattin, near Aleppo, Monday.
The reprieve appeared short-lived. Starting in the late afternoon, deep booms from artillery attacks on a handful of suburbs, as well as two districts in the southern part of Damascus, reverberated across the city.
Many shops closed early. Streets emptied before nightfall. Government soldiers manned impromptu security checkpoints built from cinder blocks and tree-branches, blocking two highways that ring the city. "My fear is it's the calm before the storm," said a mother of three in Malki, an upscale Damascus neighborhood.
Opponents of President Bashar al-Assad have framed their recent advances into Damascus and Aleppo as decisive battles. But the rebel movement into the two largest cities appears to be more like a trickle in a conflict that is already killing dozens daily and displacing thousands across the rest of the country. "Every day, it looks more like a war of attrition," said a Western diplomat in Damascus.
At least 163 rebels, government forces and civilians died in Thursday's fighting, according to U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Most of the casualties were reported in Aleppo and the Damascus suburbs. State media said government forces were "closing in on the terrorists and cleansing many areas" around the country.
The mother of three said she had slept in her kitchen for three days amid last week's fighting, and sent her children to neighboring Lebanon. "I thought I saw death last week," said the woman. "That feeling comes back with every boom."