Syria: 'Operation Damascus Volcano' Continues After Blast

July 19, 2012 from Al Jazeera English

Government forces have still not ended what the Free Syrian Army is calling Operation Damascus Volcano, which started five days ago in the Syrian capital. Opposition forces are continuing to fight the Syrian army in the heart of Damascus. Activists say the Syrian army has shelled areas where rebels have clashed with troops - in revenge for Wednesday's bomb attack that killed at least three top government figures. Al Jazeera's Jane Ferguson reports.

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Battle of Damascus

The Battle of Damascus, also known as Operation Damascus Volcano, started on 15 July 2012 during the Syrian uprising. Explore this topic

Syrian Civil War

The Syrian civil war is an ongoing armed conflict in Syria between forces loyal to the Syrian Ba'ath Party government and those seeking to oust it. The conflict began on 15 March 2011, with popular demonstrations that grew nationwide by April 2011. These demonstrations were pa... Explore this topic

Syria

Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south and Israel to the southwest. A country of fertile plains, high mountains and deserts, i... Explore this topic

Damascus

Damascus, commonly known in Syria as ash-Sham and nicknamed as the City of Jasmine, is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo. It borders Quneitra, Daraa and As-Suwayda to the south, Jordan to the east, Homs to the north, and Lebanon to the west. It is a... Explore this topic

Free Syrian Army

The Free Syrian Army is an armed opposition structure operating in Syria during the Syrian civil war. Composed of defected Syrian Armed Forces personnel and volunteers, its formation was announced on 29 July 2011 in a video released on the internet by a uniformed group of dese... Explore this topic

Syrian army

The Syrian Army, officially the Syrian Arab Army, is the land force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. It is the dominant military service of the four uniformed services, controlling the senior most posts in the armed forces, and has the greatest manpower, approximately 80 per... Explore this topic

Dawoud Rajiha

Dawoud Abdallah Rajiha, forename sometimes transliterated Dawood or Daoud, surname sometimes transliterated Rajha, was the Syrian minister of defense from 2011 to July 2012 when he was assassinated along with other senior military officers by armed opposition forces during the... Explore this topic

Hasan Turkmani

Hasan Ali Turkmani was a Syrian military officer and Baath Party member, who served as minister of defense from 2004 to 2009. Explore this topic

Assef Shawkat

Assef Shawkat was the deputy Minister of Defense of Syria from September 2011 until his death in July 2012. He was assassinated along with two other top Syrian government officials by a bomb attack in Damascus on 18 July 2012. Explore this topic

Street fighting

Street fighting is hand-to-hand fighting in public places, between individuals or groups of people. Unlike sport fighting, a street fight might involve weapons, multiple opponents or revenge and has no rules. The venue is usually a public place and the fight often results in a... Explore this topic

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Battle of Damascus

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Syria

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