Syrian forces bomb suburbs of Damascus

Syrian forces today bombed southern neighbourhoods of Damascus as a senior Iranian politician arrived for talks with President Bashar Assad, according to activists.

The troops shelled two rebel-held areas as the Assad regime carried out raids on the central Damascus neighbourhood of Bab Sreijeh, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights. The violence came as Iran’s parliament speaker Ali Larijani arrived in the capital today. Iran is Assad’s strongest ally in the region.

Syrian rebels strengthened their hold on an oil-rich province bordering Iraq, activists said, capturing a military base that was considered one of the last bastions for loyalists in the region. More than 40,000 people are estimated to have been killed since the uprising against Assad’s regime last March.