The Syrian military has launched an offensive to regain control of suburbs on the eastern edge of Damascus, storming neighbourhoods and clashing with groups of army deserters in fighting that sent residents fleeing and killed at least three civilians, activists said.
Six soldiers were also killed when a roadside bomb detonated near the bus they were traveling in south of the capital.
The escalation in violence on Sunday coincided with the Arab League’s suspending of its observer mission.
Activists inside Damascus told Al Jazeera’s Anita McNaught that tanks had rolled into Al-Ghouta, within 10km of Damascus city centre.
“People we’ve spoken to are too frightened to leave their homes, they’ve locked themselves in,” our correspondent said from Istanbul in Turkey.
Al-Ghouta is historically known for being a hub of dissent against the Assad government, and the crackdown appeared to be an attempt “to avoid any Tahrir Square-style mass movements,” she said.
At least 66 people, including 26 civilians, were killed in violence across Syria on Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The London-based rights group said 26 soldiers, five other members of the security forces, nine army deserters were also among those killed as the regime cracked down on protesters and opposition fighters.
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