Syrian troops battling to seize key rebel stronghold in east Damascus

A Syrian lawmaker said on Friday that Syrian army has taken control of most parts of a tense eastern Damascus neighborhood, the pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV reported.

Ammar al-Assad was cited by the TV as saying that many militants fled Jobar towards the nearby city of Douma, located in the sprawling eastern al-Ghouta suburb.

Jobar, 2 km east of the ancient walled part of the capital Damascus in the Eastern al-Ghouta, has seen intense battles between the Syrian troops and rebel groups over the past few months, after the Syrian troops unleashed a widescale offensive to dislodge the rebels from that area.

According to the legislator, "The battle there is settled in favor of the Syrian army."

In an earlier report, the TV said intense clashes renewed on Friday morning in Jobar, adding that the government troops heavily shelled the rebels' positions, and detonated a number of tunnels the rebels had dug in that area to facilitate the flow of arms and fighters between rebel-held areas in the Eastern al-Ghouta countryside.

The rebels, who have been entrenched for years in that area, have repeatedly attempted to breach Damascus.

Signifying the importance of the battles in Jobar, President Bashar al-Assad made a rare and surprising visit to the frontline in Jobar at the New Year's Eve. Enditem