Rebels battle Syrian forces in Damascus

(AP) BEIRUT - Bullets and shrapnel shells smashed into homes in the Syrian capital overnight, as troops battled rebels in the streets, in the heaviest fighting yet in Damascus. The violence marked an increased boldness among rebels in taking their fight against the regime of President Bashar Assad to the center of his power.

For nearly 12 hours of fighting that lasted into the early hours Saturday, rebels armed mainly with assault rifles fought Syrian forces. U.N. observers said rebels fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the local power plant, damaging parts of it and charring six buses, according to video the observers took of the scene.

Syrian forces showed the regime's willingness to unleash elevated force in the capital: at least three tank shells slammed into residential areas in the central Damascus neighborhood of Qaboun, an activist said. Intense exchanges of assault-rifle fire marked the clash, according to residents and amateur videos.

At least 42 civilians were killed in violence around the country outside Damascus on Saturday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based activist group. Among them were 20, including nine women and children, who died in heavy, pre-dawn shelling in the southern city of Daraa, where the uprising against Assad began in March 2011. The group's figures could not be independently confirmed.

In a Daraa mosque, a father stood over his son killed in the shelling, swaddled in a blanket.

"I will become a suicide bomber!" the father shouted in grief, according to an amateur video of the scene.

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Later Saturday, tens of thousands of Daraa residents buried the slain from the shelling. They sang, danced and paraded the dead in coffins around a large square, giving the mass funeral the appearance of a mass wedding party, according to footage of the scene.

The Damascus violence was a dramatic shift, since the capital has been relatively quiet compared with other Syrian cities throughout the uprising. Damascus, Assad's stronghold, and the northern city of Aleppo, the country's largest, are under the firm grip of security forces.

To watch Elizabeth Palmer's report from Syria, and then analysis of Syrian's military capabilities by CBS NEws senior military security analyst Gen. Richard Myers, click on the video player above.

The rebels' brazenness in appearing in the Damascus districts underscored deep-seated Sunni anger against the regime, with the neighborhoods' residents risking their safety — and potentially their lives — to shelter the fighters. Residents burned tires to block the advance of Syrian troops, sending plumes of smoke into the air, according to amateur video of one scene.

Urban Sunni Syrians had once mostly stayed at arms' length from their mostly rural compatriots leading the 15-month uprising, fearing the instability that their leaderless, chaotic movement would bring.

But it appears a series of massacres of mainly Sunni peasants over the past few weeks have tipped some of their urban brethren in favor of the uprising. One rebel supporter in Qaboun said the recent mass killings made people see rebel fighters more as protectors against Assad's forces.

"The regime has forced the rebels into the city. When they commit attacks, or massacres, or arrests, they come in to defend residents," he said.

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[neluroman]

al-Assad is president just because he is the father's son. No Syrian elected him.So, what big deal if he would step down. Whether directly involved in this massacres or not is not so important, as long as he has failed to protect his people. This failure should compell him to step down from Precidency. Any really people loving Precident would do so.

[alex_glaz]

It is not that simple! The Syrian opposition, being supported by AlQaeda and Saudis, want to replace the government with something like Taliban. In that case, the current ruling power being an offshot of Shia sect will be massacred. Saudi's and AlQaeda have no qualms in killing defenseless women and children as they have done it in Afghanistan, Iraq and Bahrain.

[troubakan]

Alex, how do you know what the opposition want after the fall of Assad? They don't even know what they want to do after assad falls. It's still a mess over there. Besides, the biggest threat we have from the middle east now is iran. So whomever gets in after assad will be hostile to iran and probably hezbollah in neighboring lebanon. That's a good thing right? Strange how you don't seem to be bothered with sunni muslim children being murdered, but are worried about the current ruling power being massacred if the opposition gets control. What a hypocrite you are.

[historicbruno]

Shocking the simple minded fools raving about Assad and freedom and innocent people dying. The Syrian government is fighting an armed insurgency, obviously there will be people dying! The more we encourage the terrorists aka "rebels", the bolder they'll grow as we've seen, this will escalate to full scale civil war and ethnic cleansing in no time. Until your entire village has been wiped out, your family murdered because of their sect, you will never understand that horror. One man's head is not worth so much suffering.

[troubakan]

Wow. Historicbruno you are an idiot. Do you even remember why these rebels are fighting Assad? How does executing children help Assad fight this insurgency? And twice assad forces have MURDERED children on purpose. This wasn't an accident. It wasn't collateral damage. I guess under your logic, people should just sit and suffer under a dictator's ruthless and violent policy. I seriously doubt you would just take it if you were in their position. I guess you also believe that the American Revolution was an overreaction by the colonies than a rebuke to unreasonable oppression from a crazy monarch. You really need to get your head out of your ass.

[historicbruno]

Blah blah blah, troubakan, repeating exactly what you're told by the media. You have absolutely no clue about Syria or the greater underlying forces in the region. You don't even think to consider them, maybe you're incapable of rational thought or anything beyond an emotional knee-jerk. Some children died - so what?! They die every week somewhere in NATO airstrikes. Why don't you prove who killed them, if you can? Are YOU there in the villages watching, do YOU know the attackers identities? The UN would love to talk with you if so.

[alex_glaz]

The Sunni's are supported by AlQaeda and Saudis, neither a symbol of peace or democracy. Assad may not be Abe Lincoln but even Honest Abe had to fight the South when it came to integrity of our nation.

[historicbruno]

Exactly! But no major news source is even hinting on that aspect. They are all strictly obsessed with Assad, Iran, and the fact people die in an armed insurgency (soon to be a civil war if we continue encouraging these terrorists). This is being portrayed as a mass spontaneous uprising against Assad's rule, IT IS NOT. Instead it's a highly orchestrated manipulation of a sovereign nation's domestic affairs by foreign entities. They know chaos plays to their advantage.

[troubakan]

Lame analogy alex_glaz. Honest Abe or union soldiers never MURDERED children to gain integrity and then blame the south for it. If you say they did, I say prove it?

[mnollette]

Assad is walking a tightrope while juggling too many balls. The Saudi's, Kurds, Russians, Chinese, Sunni's et al in the air. Drop just one and he falls.

[smittyc]

Finally it comes out. It is called Sectarian violence, ****** against Sunni. With what is going on in Egypt, Libya Yemen and other places in the Middle East, we can't afford to get sucked in, the only outcome would be they would unite to throw us out, then go back to fighting each other.

[smittyc]

CBS is to funny, they won't allow the posting of the other religious sect. ******

[Overruled1]

The horrors inflicted by Assad's forces on DEFENSELESS human beings cannot be allowed to continue without retribution.
Many people in other forums have stated, that it's not our business, others that we must step in, yet others saying it's up to the UN.
Some have said we can drone attack Assad, others that we cant.
So here is my proposal, bring into the fold 1 rebel to train to fly a drone. From what I know of it, it's simple to fly with assistance from trained pros. He can be the instrument of destruction on Assad.
That way, we can claim we kept out, did something, and with success, can establish a new syrian government booting the lagging Russians out of Syria, and fingering China.

[notreich]

Ridiculous

[David_Tampa]

yep defenseless human beings with AK47's War sux for women and kids. That's why women could/should stop war....tomorrow....... if they would vote. Get on a plane enter Syria surreptitiously, and do the job yourself.

Hurry home then because we are going to have the very same problem when our Country comes apart.

[Whyres72]

I support the Syrian people fighting for freedom from Tyranny. I hope you realize that people of the US do support your right to bear arms in resistance against unjust rule. I hope that you will come to learn that we are with you. In time, hopefully we can become friends and allies. I hope our political leaders have the courage to offer support to your courageous resistance.