Heavy fights between Syrian armed forces and free Syrian army around the capital Damascus 2606121.

Pro-government media said the Syrian army is clashing with the armed opposition in Hameh and Qudsaiah in a bid to cleanse those areas from the presence of rebels.

Witnesses said that more than 300 members of the rebel Free Syrian Army are currently stationed in Hameh and Qudsaiah, located near each other on the western slope of Qasioun mountain west of Damascus.

Ambulances with their wailing sirens have been heard rushing towards military hospitals in Damascus almost all night and in the early morning.

The oppositional activists' network, Local Coordination Committees, said the Syrian troops shelled the two restive suburbs with mortar and tank shells, and military reinforcement has been spotted arriving at the scene of the clashes in the early hours of Tuesday.

The death toll of the clashes has not been determined yet, but the latest series of clashes signifies that the government's patience with the armed elements in the country is wearing thinner.

During the 16-month crisis in Syria, the capital Damascus has been almost calm except for its suburbs, which have emerged as strongholds for armed rebels to seize control of the capital.