Heavy fighting in the capital Damascus between government forces and Free Syrian army 1607122.

Defense News - Syria

Severe clashes broke out Sunday, July 15, 2012, afternoon and overnight in a number of southern neighborhoods of the capital Damascus, mostly in the neighborhood of Tadamun, in what witnesses said the fiercest fighting to have occurred in the capital since the unrest began last year.

As violence continued on the ground, a monitoring group said clashes in Damascus marked the "most intense" fighting in the capital since the start of the revolt 16 months ago.

Activists in the capital said the Syrian army had closed down the road to the airport and was trying to surround fighters in southern neighbourhoods such as al-Tadamon and Hajar al-Aswad in an attempt to crush unrest inside Damascus.

Sounds of gunshots and shelling have reverberated across several nearby neighborhoods of Damascus, as wailing sirens have also been blaring amid thick presence of security patrols in a number of areas.

The state news agency SANA said the government troops were after terrorists and gunmen in the Tadamun area, adding that hefty toll was inflicted on the armed men.

Witnesses said the authorities have launched a combing campaign in a number of southern areas, such as Midan, Zahra and Naher Aisha in addition to Tadamun.