Fierce
clashes erupted between pro-regime troops and opposition fighters in
southern Damascus on Monday following the killing of 10 opposition
fighters in overnight clashes in eastern Syria, according to the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights.
The Observatory reported that
violence between regime troops and opposition fighters in Damascus’
al-Kadam neighborhood continued for over an hour, along with explosions. Shelling on East al-Ghouta did not cease during the night, killing two opposition gunmen, according to the Observatory.
Also in al-Haska, 10 opposition fighters were killed in overnight fights with regime troops.
The army which had maintained a siege on several Homs neighborhoods for over six months, shelled the al-Khalidiya neighborhood.
On
another note, the extremist al-Nusra Front adopted the suicide bombing
which rocked the town of al-Selmiya in Hama on Monday, killing 42
people, the Front said via Twitter.
Stances
The Syrian
National Coalition returned to the forefront, calling on the
international community to provide it with money and equipment, during
an international meeting in Paris.
During the meeting, the
coalition’s vice president Riyad Seif stated that the Syrian people are
currently fighting a “merciless war,” adding “time is not our ally and
the ongoing conflict will only cause a disaster on a regional and global
level.”
In turn, the conference’s host, French Foreign Minister
Laurent Fabius, said: "Before the collapse of a state and a society,
Islamist groups seem likely to expand their control on the ground if we
do not act. We must now allow a revolution which started with peaceful
and democratic demonstrations turn into a confrontation between
militias.”
For his part President Barack
Obama said he has been wrestling with the question whether a U.S. military
intervention in Syria's 22-month-old civil war would help resolve the bloody
conflict or make things worse.
In a pair of interviews, Obama
responded to critics who say the United States has not been involved enough in
Syria, where thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced
according to U.N. officials. Transcripts of both interviews were released on
Sunday.
On another note, a source from Jordan’s Armed Forces
General Command announced Monday that the number of Syrians, mostly
women, children and elderly, who have fled in to the Kingdom since the
beginning of this month exceeded 52,000.
REUTERS/LBCI