Syrian government official and local residents say mortar shells have landed near the Russian Embassy in Damascus, killing one person.
The official says four shells hit the capital's Mazraa neighborhood on Tuesday.
He says one person was killed and an unknown number of people were wounded in the attack.
He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
Residents in the area said the mortars shells landed about 150 meters (feet) from the building that houses the Russian Embassy in Damascus.
Russia is close ally of President Bashar Assad's regime, which has been fighting insurgents since an uprising against his rule turned into a civil war two years ago.
The Syrian opposition is backed by the United States and its European allies.
Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin defended Russian arms sales to the Syrian government but said Moscow had not yet delivered advanced S-300 air defense systems to Damascus.
Putin told a news conference after a summit with European Union leaders that Russia did not want to upset the military balance in the region and all its arms sales to Syria were in line with international law.
This comes as President Putin said that any attempt at foreign military intervention in Syria was doomed to fail and would make the situation worse.
He also said Russia was disappointed by an EU decision not to extend an embargo on member states arming rebel forces fighting the Syrian government.
On another note, Acting Chief of the Syrian National Coalition Georges Sabra urged Lebanese House Speaker Nabih Berri to create
humanitarian corridors to evacuate injured opposition fighters from al-Qusayr.
Meanwhile, Syrian state news service said
the army has pushed rebels out of a key district on the edge of Damascus,
bolstering the defenses of the capital.
SANA said the government troops
have "restored security and stability to some vital areas" in Jobar,
a district on the northeastern edge of Damascus, from which rebels have been
trying to push inside the capital for weeks.
Tuesday's report said President
Bashar Assad's troops pushed "terrorists" from positions they have
been using to launch guerrilla operations deep inside the capital and fire
mortars into its residential area.
UN Report: More evidence needed on Syria chemical weapons
Meanwhile, a UN report on Syria said Tuesday
there are "reasonable grounds" to believe that limited quantities of
toxic chemicals have been used as weapons in at least four attacks in Syria's
civil war, but said more evidence is needed to determine the precise chemical
agents used or who used them.
The UN Commission of Inquiry said
conclusive findings can be reached only after testing samples taken directly
from victims or the site of the alleged attacks. It called on Damascus to allow
a team of experts into the country.
The commission's report to the
Human Rights Council on violations in Syria's conflict accused both sides of
committing war crimes. In an apparent message to European countries considering
arming Syrian rebels, the report warned that the transfer of arms would
heighten the risk of violations, leading to more civilian deaths and injuries.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
has appointed a UN team to investigate alleged chemical weapons attacks in
Syria after the Syrian government asked him to investigate a purported attack
by rebels on March 19 on Khan al-Assal village in the northern city of Aleppo.
But the Syrian government insists that a probe be limited to that incident.
Syrian soldiers were reportedly
killed and injured in the incident, which the rebels blame on Syrian forces.
Opposition activists have claimed more than six instances when regime forces
used chemical weapons.
The confirmed use of chemical
weapons could escalate the international response to the more than two-year-old
conflict, which has killed more than 70,000 people, according to the United
Nations. President Barack Obama has said their use would be a "red
line," but the administration says it still looking for solid evidence.
The report, covering the period
from mid-January to mid-May, accused both sides of committing war crimes. On
the government side, the report accused government forces and affiliated
militia of committing torture, rape, forcible displacement and enforced
disappearance.
On the rebel side, the report accused armed groups of carrying
out sentencing and execution without due process, as well as committing
torture, taking hostages and pillaging.
But it said violations and abuses
by the rebels "did not, however, reach the intensity and scale of those
committed by government forces and affiliated militia."
AP/REUTERS
For the full report, please click on the VIDEO above