Mezzeh, Syria. Photo: Emre Aydogan via flickr.

NY Times – Armed Syrian defectors took their uprising into the heart of a heavily guarded and wealthy district of Damascus on Monday, clashing with security forces in what activists and residents called the most intense fighting in such a strategic area since the protests against President Bashar al-Assad began a year ago.

The flaring of violence was highly unusual for any part the Syrian capital, which has been largely insulated despite the opposition against Mr. Assad that has spread mayhem and killings elsewhere. The Damascus clashes erupted just as the Syrian Army appeared to be making headway against rebel enclaves around the country, from the northern city of Idlib to Dara’a in the south, the birthplace of the protests that began last March.

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