Syrian government forces shell Damascus outskirts, clash with rebels

Syrian government forces and their allies shelled rebel-held areas in Damascus's eastern outskirts on Monday and clashed with insurgents in the area, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
  
Mortar fire wounded nearly 20 people, some very seriously, around the town of Arbin in the Eastern Ghouta area, and shelling close to nearby Douma killed at least one person, the British-based monitoring group reported.
 
The latest clashes were a significant escalation in fighting in Eastern Ghouta, where the army had last week declared a temporary but now-defunct cessation of hostilities, Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman said.
 
Some rebel groups have in recent weeks been fighting among themselves in the area.