Syrian rebels fight now Syrian government forces with captured armoured vehicle in Homs 0302122.

Escalating violence has now killed thousands and those opposed to President Assad claim his forces have stepped up operations against opposition strongholds.

Overnight government snipers, infantry and armour took up new positions in the suburbs of Damascus to counter rebels on the doorstep of the capital.

There are also reportedly government crackdowns ongoing in the city of Hama and Homs and the border areas of Deraa and Idlib.

Three army personnel, including a brigadier general, were killed Wednesday, February 1, 2012, and six other military members were wounded during clashes with an armed group in Basimeh area in Damascus countryside, state-run SANA news agency reported.

In the central province of Homs, two military personnel were wounded when an explosive device, planted by an "armed terrorist group," blew up on the Maryamin-Homs road.

Syria’s state news agency claimed troops killed 11 members of an “armed terrorist group” close to Derra and uncovered bomb factories and field hospitals scattered around the suburbs of Damascus.