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Heavy clashes between troops and rebels raged into a second day in Syria’s second city Aleppo on Saturday, activists said, while a tense calm reigned in Damascus after days of fierce fighting.
The fighting in Aleppo came a day after the United Nations Security Council voted unanimously to grant a “final” 30-day mandate extension to a troubled observer mission charged with overseeing a peace plan for Syria.
The soldiers of the Syrian army regained control of the Midan district in the capital Damascus, announced Friday the state television. The opposition confirmed the information, as the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (SOHR) stated that government forces backed by tanks entered Midan.
Militant Khaled al-Shami, based in Damascus, said the rebels have carried out a “tactical” withdrawal Friday morning to spare civilians from further bombardments. Heavy fighting between rebels and soldiers took place in the capital for five days.
Syrian rebels have taken control of Bab al-Hawa’s border posts with Turkey, the first since start of revolt against Assad regime.
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported it, an ong based in London.
Clashes erupted on Thursday near Syrian government headquarters in Damascus after rebels attacked forces loyal to President Bashar Assad, who have deployed armored vehicles and increased roadblocks across the city, activists and residents said.
At least one person was reported killed in the fighting in Ikhlas neighborhood near the Council of Ministers, a huge complex, and a Damascus University campus, they said.
Hundreds of families were fleeing the area, located between the districts of Kafar Souseh and Mezze, they said.
Rebels will intensify attacks inside the Syrian capital and target sensitive security installations in what they call an operation to “liberate Damascus”, a rebel commander said on Tuesday, after three days of fierce fighting in the city.
Colonel Qassem Saadeddine, spokesman of the joint command of the Free Syrian Army inside Syria, told Reuters via Skype that many fighters arrived in Damascus from several provinces 10 days ago to take part in the operation and more would be sent soon.