Damascus areas shelled by regime; 35 dead

BEIRUT -- Syrian regime forces shelled two central Damascus districts yesterday before troops backed by tanks swept through to carry out house-to-house raids, killing at least 35 suspected rebels, in a major flare-up of fighting in the capital, activists said.

In a particularly hard-hit northern district, activists said they discovered dozens of bodies that appeared to have been shot execution-style. Such gruesome reports have become increasingly common as the civil war has taken on heavy sectarian undertones.

The capital is one of many fronts President Bashar Assad's regime is struggling to contain as the 17-month-old rebellion against his rule gains strength.

Government forces are also engaged in a major battle for control of the northern city of Aleppo as well as smaller-scale operations in the country's south, east and center.

On the diplomatic front, a senior UN official said Iran's arms supplies to Syria violated UN sanctions. France also indicated it has provided the rebels with communication and protection equipment but cautioned against foreign intervention without a UN mandate.

A prominent opposition figure, meanwhile, rejected as "more lies" comments by a senior Syrian official that Damascus would be willing to discuss Assad's resignation but only after the opposition agreed to join in negotiating a peaceful settlement.

"As for his resignation, making his resignation a condition for dialogue effectively makes holding such a dialogue impossible," said the official, Deputy Foreign Minister Qadri Jamil. "During the negotiating process any issues can be discussed, and we are ready to discuss even this issue."

Reached in Turkey, Adib Shishakly of the Syrian National Council, a key umbrella opposition group, said: "It's the first time that we hear such talk, but it's difficult to believe. We have grown accustomed to the regime's lies."

Around dawn yesterday, regime forces in Damascus rained mortar shells on the upscale Kafar Soussa area, home to the foreign ministry, the prime minister's office and several foreign embassies, and adjacent Nahr Eishah, activists said.

The attacks may have been designed to kill or capture rebel mortar teams, activists said.