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| Syria: 'heavy fighting' in Damascus - live updates | Syria: 'heavy fighting' in Damascus - live updates |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| 10.41am: Al-Jazeera is about to publish a cache of Syrian documents it claims will show the Assad regime's plans to prevent uprisings in Damascus and Aleppo. | |
| They also provide proof that the regime spied on Arab League, observers, according to the network's James Bays. | |
| #SYRIA full report on defector and secret papers again in less than 30 mins on #AJE | |
| — JAMES BAYS (@baysontheroad) March 19, 2012 | |
| Bays said the documents were obtained by Abdel Majid Barakat, an opposition mole who worked in an security office where the crackdown was planned. | |
| He fled the country with 1,400 pages of secret documents, Bays claimed. | |
| 10.29am: A Google Map of the Mezze area shows it is home to a number of government buildings and embassies. | |
| The Tala Tower, were one blast was heard, is close to the Ministry of Information and the Ba'ath party newspaper. | |
| The markers show the location of the tower and the pro-government neighbourhood of Mezze 86. | |
| 10.12am: Syrian blogger BSyria is wary of reports from Mezze, or Mazzeh as it also spelled. | |
| I am quite sceptical of the news coming out of Mazzeh. Something happened, but what exactly, nobody knows yet. | |
| — BSyria (@BSyria) March 19, 2012 | |
| The FSA and many bloggers are prone to exaggeration. #mazzeh | |
| — BSyria (@BSyria) March 19, 2012 | |
| 9.51am: An activist group, the Revolution Leadership Council of Damascus ,has put together an unverified timeline of what it claims happened this morning in Mezze. | |
| (All times local - two hours ahead of GMT) | (All times local - two hours ahead of GMT) |
| 12.50am | 12.50am |
| Heavy gunfire heard for almost an hour in West Mezze near the Tala Tower. All roads leading to the area were blocked by security forces. Several residents were reportedly injured | |
| 1.45am | 1.45am |
| Two blasts were heard seven minutes apart. and police cars were seen heading to the area. | Two blasts were heard seven minutes apart. and police cars were seen heading to the area. |
| 2.04am | 2.04am |
| Armed shabiha, from Mezze 86, a nearby pro-government neighbourhood, come down to West Mezze to support security forces. | |
| 2.30am | 2.30am |
| Security forces and shabiha force the residents of one building onto the street. Heavy gunfire is heard. Snipers are seen on the roof tops of surrounding buildings. | Security forces and shabiha force the residents of one building onto the street. Heavy gunfire is heard. Snipers are seen on the roof tops of surrounding buildings. |
| 2.56am - 4am | 2.56am - 4am |
| Two more blasts were heard. A helicopter seen overhead using searchlights. More blasts follow as roads to Mezze 86 are blocked. Ambulances seen in the area. At least three people were killed and several were injured. | |
| 4.30am | 4.30am |
| Smoke is seen over the area as more explosions are hear. Several injured people are take to the al-Muwasah hospital. | Smoke is seen over the area as more explosions are hear. Several injured people are take to the al-Muwasah hospital. |
| 7.30am | 7.30am |
| There is intermittent gunfire as security cars roam the area. The Political Security building in the area is closed. Schools in Mezze are also shut for the day. | |
| 9.26am: A Damascus resident told al-Jazeera of hearing several "huge explosions" in the Mezze area this morning. | 9.26am: A Damascus resident told al-Jazeera of hearing several "huge explosions" in the Mezze area this morning. |
| The resident, named as Omar al-Khani, also claimed there heavy gunfire and that shabiha, or armed supporters of the regime, invaded the area from higher ground. | The resident, named as Omar al-Khani, also claimed there heavy gunfire and that shabiha, or armed supporters of the regime, invaded the area from higher ground. |
| 9.07am: An activist in Damascus claimed that this morning's clashes in the Mezze district signified a "huge change". | 9.07am: An activist in Damascus claimed that this morning's clashes in the Mezze district signified a "huge change". |
| "This means that the regime does not have full control of the [Mezze] area," Lena, a spokeswoman for the Revolution Leadership Council in Damascus, told the Guardian via Skype. | "This means that the regime does not have full control of the [Mezze] area," Lena, a spokeswoman for the Revolution Leadership Council in Damascus, told the Guardian via Skype. |
| She admitted that it was difficult to establish exactly what took place, but claimed reports pointed to possible military defections in the district. Mezze is one of the most prestigious neighbourhoods in Damascus and home to embassies and high ranking officials, Lena explained. | She admitted that it was difficult to establish exactly what took place, but claimed reports pointed to possible military defections in the district. Mezze is one of the most prestigious neighbourhoods in Damascus and home to embassies and high ranking officials, Lena explained. |
| There were explosions, blasts. We heard that there was a clash between the regular army and the Free Syrian Army, but we are still not sure about that. | There were explosions, blasts. We heard that there was a clash between the regular army and the Free Syrian Army, but we are still not sure about that. |
| It kept going from midnight to 6am. There were around 10 blasts. There were so many security forces there. There was a huge clash there. Around 100 injured people reached a nearby hospital. | It kept going from midnight to 6am. There were around 10 blasts. There were so many security forces there. There was a huge clash there. Around 100 injured people reached a nearby hospital. |
| I heard things but I couldn't witness it myself. We have a network here. We have something like reporters in every street there. We come together on Facebook. We start talking together. 'What did you see? What did you hear?' We start gathering information and giving it to the media. | I heard things but I couldn't witness it myself. We have a network here. We have something like reporters in every street there. We come together on Facebook. We start talking together. 'What did you see? What did you hear?' We start gathering information and giving it to the media. |
| It was [said] that the Free Syrian Army was carrying out a mission there, but we still don't know. We haven't heard anything from their part yet. But it seems that there might have been a defection in a building there - the political intelligence department. This is the why the regular army was fighting. | It was [said] that the Free Syrian Army was carrying out a mission there, but we still don't know. We haven't heard anything from their part yet. But it seems that there might have been a defection in a building there - the political intelligence department. This is the why the regular army was fighting. |
| This is a heavily guarded areas, so it would be very strange for [the FSA to come from outside the area]. | This is a heavily guarded areas, so it would be very strange for [the FSA to come from outside the area]. |
| Lena claimed RPGs were reported to have been used causing damage to buildings. She also claimed a helicopter hover over the area using a spot light. | Lena claimed RPGs were reported to have been used causing damage to buildings. She also claimed a helicopter hover over the area using a spot light. |
| As an activist Lena said she was encouraged by what appeared to have taken place, and insisted this was not wishful thinking on her part. | As an activist Lena said she was encouraged by what appeared to have taken place, and insisted this was not wishful thinking on her part. |
| This is a huge change, to hear gunfire in this prestigious place in Damascus at midnight. This is very very very different. People in Damascus know that this marks the beginning of the end. For me as an activist - I've been waiting for this for so long. | This is a huge change, to hear gunfire in this prestigious place in Damascus at midnight. This is very very very different. People in Damascus know that this marks the beginning of the end. For me as an activist - I've been waiting for this for so long. |
| 8.32am: (all times GMT) Welcome to Middle East Live. Reports of clashes in the Mezze district of Damascus point to possible military defections. | 8.32am: (all times GMT) Welcome to Middle East Live. Reports of clashes in the Mezze district of Damascus point to possible military defections. |
| Here's a roundup of the the latest developments: | Here's a roundup of the the latest developments: |
| Syria | Syria |
| • Heavy fighting has broken out between Free Syrian Army rebels and forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in the Mezze district of Damascus where several security installations are based. A resident told Reuters: "There is fighting near Hamada supermarket and the sound of explosions there and elsewhere in the neighbourhood. Security police have blocked several side streets and the street lighting has been cut off." | • Heavy fighting has broken out between Free Syrian Army rebels and forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in the Mezze district of Damascus where several security installations are based. A resident told Reuters: "There is fighting near Hamada supermarket and the sound of explosions there and elsewhere in the neighbourhood. Security police have blocked several side streets and the street lighting has been cut off." |
| • The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross is due in Moscow to lobby the Russian foreign minister to try to persuade the Assad government to secure a daily ceasefire in Syria and allow humanitarian access to areas worst hit by the violence. Jakob Kellenberger said he was particularly concerned about the fate of detainees. | • The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross is due in Moscow to lobby the Russian foreign minister to try to persuade the Assad government to secure a daily ceasefire in Syria and allow humanitarian access to areas worst hit by the violence. Jakob Kellenberger said he was particularly concerned about the fate of detainees. |
| • Syria's two biggest cities Aleppo and Damascus were hit by car bombs over the weekend as UN teams prepared to join a government-led humanitarian mission. On Saturday a twin car bombs killed 27 people in the capital. A day later two more people were killed in another car bomb in Aleppo. A joint mission by the Syrian government, the United Nations and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation was due to start assessing humanitarian needs in towns across Syria which have suffered from months of unrest. | • Syria's two biggest cities Aleppo and Damascus were hit by car bombs over the weekend as UN teams prepared to join a government-led humanitarian mission. On Saturday a twin car bombs killed 27 people in the capital. A day later two more people were killed in another car bomb in Aleppo. A joint mission by the Syrian government, the United Nations and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation was due to start assessing humanitarian needs in towns across Syria which have suffered from months of unrest. |
| Libya | Libya |
| • Two British journalists who were arrested last month by a Libyan militia group and accused of spying have been released and cleared of all charges, Libya's Interior Ministry has said. Gareth Montgomery-Johnson, 36, and Nicholas Davies, 37, who work for Iran's state-owned Press TV, were arrested on 23 February by a Misrata militia based in Tripoli. | • Two British journalists who were arrested last month by a Libyan militia group and accused of spying have been released and cleared of all charges, Libya's Interior Ministry has said. Gareth Montgomery-Johnson, 36, and Nicholas Davies, 37, who work for Iran's state-owned Press TV, were arrested on 23 February by a Misrata militia based in Tripoli. |
| • A three-way battle for custody of Abdullah al-Senussi, the Gaddafi regime's spymaster, has broken out following his arrest over the weekend in Mauritania. Senussi is wanted for trial by Libya, France and the international criminal court in The Hague. | • A three-way battle for custody of Abdullah al-Senussi, the Gaddafi regime's spymaster, has broken out following his arrest over the weekend in Mauritania. Senussi is wanted for trial by Libya, France and the international criminal court in The Hague. |
| • The Libya campaign has come at a potentially high price, making future UN-backed missions to protect civilians less likely, a report by a leading UK security thinktank has warned. The report by Royal United Services Institute released on the first anniversary of the start of Nato's Operation Odyssey Dawn, said: | • The Libya campaign has come at a potentially high price, making future UN-backed missions to protect civilians less likely, a report by a leading UK security thinktank has warned. The report by Royal United Services Institute released on the first anniversary of the start of Nato's Operation Odyssey Dawn, said: |
| For advocates of the responsibility to protect [R2P], the worry should be that there is indeed a legacy of the Libya conflict: China and Russia will presume that the model in future operations is rather regime change under the cloak of R2P, and will be more forthcoming with vetoes. We have already seen this over Syria. | For advocates of the responsibility to protect [R2P], the worry should be that there is indeed a legacy of the Libya conflict: China and Russia will presume that the model in future operations is rather regime change under the cloak of R2P, and will be more forthcoming with vetoes. We have already seen this over Syria. |