Syria: Fresh fighting in capital as hundreds flee regime reprisal attacks

The military said residents have 48 hours to leave areas where clashes are taking place between security forces and rebels, acording to security sources.

"These extremely violent clashes should continue in the next 48 hours to cleanse Damascus of terrorists by the time Ramadan begins" on Friday, the source said, referring to the Muslim holy fasting month.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights watchdog said "hundreds of people" fled several areas.

David Cameron, the prime minister called on Syrian president Bashar Assad to give up power to avert more chaos and bloodshed. Speaking during a visit to Afghanistan, Mr Cameron said: "I have a very clear message for president Assad. It is time for him to go.

"It is time for transition in the regime. If there isn't transition it's quite clear there's going to be civil war."

Syria’s opposition proclaimed “the beginning of the end” for Bashar al-Assad’s regime on Wednesday night after a bomb attack in the heart of Damascus killed three of the president’s closest lieutenants, including his powerful brother-in-law.

Striking the very core of Mr Assad’s defence apparatus, the bomb exploded inside the headquarters of Syria’s national security council as officials convened a meeting of the 'crisis cell’ set up to crush the 16-month uprising against the president’s rule.

For weeks, Mr Assad’s power had been visibly crumbling, weakened by a series of high-profile defections. But yesterday’s attack amounted to an evisceration of his inner sanctum, a solitary strike more devastating than any other rebel act during the past 16 months of blood-letting.

In a series of grim broadcasts, state television confirmed the fatalities: Gen Daoud Rajha, the defence minister, Gen Hassan Turkmani, assistant to the vice-president and head of the crisis cell, and Assef Shawkat, the husband of Mr Assad’s sister and the most important scalp of all. Mr Shawkat was referred to by some Syrians as their “second president”.

^{(From left) Gen Daoud Rajha, the defence minister, Gen Hassan Turkmani, assistant to the vice-president and Assef Shawkat, the husband of Mr Assad’s sister (AP/REUTERS)}

There were reports that Mohammed Shaar, the interior minister, was also among the dead, while Gen Hisham Ikhtiyar, one of Mr Assad’s intelligence chiefs, was said to have been wounded.

Late last night, there were also claims from one rebel spokesman that Mr Assad himself may have been at the meeting when the bomb went off. It was suggested that he may have been wounded and taken out of Damascus on a private jet. Both reports were unconfirmed.

The cause of the explosion was also unclear. Initial reports suggested it may have been the work of a suicide bomber, with government officials alleging that the perpetrator was a bodyguard.

^{Smoke billows from a building in downtown Damascus, Syria (AP)}

But senior rebel officials told The Daily Telegraph that bombs hidden in a flower arrangement and a chocolate box were remotely detonated by defectors working to bring down the regime from within.

Both the Free Syrian Army and a jihadi group calling itself Liwa al-Islam claimed responsibility, although they may have been acting in collaboration.

“There were two bombs,” Louay al-Mokdad, the FSA’s logistical coordinator said. “One was hidden in a packet of chocolates and one in a big flower pot that was in the middle of the table of the conference room.” He claimed that the operation was conducted by a group of FSA members in collaboration with drivers and bodyguards working for Mr Assad’s inner circle, a version repeated by other activists.

The two devices, one made of 25lb of TNT, and the other a smaller “C4” plastic explosive, were said to have been planted in the room days before the meeting by an opposition mole working for Gen Ikhtiyar. Mr Mokdad claimed that the meeting may have been led by Mr Assad or by his brother Maher, who has been the regime’s battlefield commander in the uprising. “I have just spoken with the driver who brought the explosive package,” he said. “He is trying to understand who led the meeting; whether it was Bashar or Maher.”

Whatever the truth behind the attack, its timing in the midst of an opposition offensive raises the credibility of the opposition as a guerrilla movement — a fact that could prove decisive in dictating the remainder of the conflict.

In the aftermath of the blast, the regime reacted with predictable fury, vowing to “wipe out the criminal gangs in their rotten dens”. Tanks and helicopter gunships were deployed in full force and rebel strongholds in the capital’s Sunni suburbs were subjected to the most ferocious bombardment of the uprising, according to both residents and rebels.

But the regime’s threats had a hollowness to them. With the president no longer able to protect those closest to him, a surge in the number of defections seems highly likely. The FSA reported the desertion of 500 government soldiers near the presidential palace in Damascus, while other opposition sources said that a senior security official had switched sides, taking 120 tanks with him. There were even rumours that Mr Assad had packed his wife Asma off to Moscow.

Such claims may turn out to be far-fetched, but there can be little doubting how swiftly morale among those who have remained loyal will be ebbing.

^{Members of the Free Syrian Army chant slogans against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Azzaz, Aleppo province (Reuters)}

In parts of the country under effective opposition control, Syrians celebrated as though they had ousted Mr Assad, hooting horns and firing into the air.

The international community struggled to keep pace with the unfolding events. William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, condemned the killings as an act of assassination, but said the bombing showed more than ever the need for world powers to unite to end the crisis.

Syrian rebels seemed convinced that a turning point had been reached in the civil war, one that proved they could win without further international assistance.

The FSA, which had predicted an imminent “surprise” on the eve of the attack, claimed that its assault on the capital, named “Damascus Volcano”, would take them to the verge of victory.

“This is the volcano we talked about; we have just started,” said Qassem Saadedine, the group’s spokesman. “We have smashed the inner circle of Bashar,” another rebel official boasted.

^{An image taken from a video uploaded to YouTube shows one of four Syrian army tanks allegedly destroyed by the Free Syrian Army in the town of Aazaz}

The head of the main civilian opposition group, the Syrian National Council, demonstrated similar confidence.

“This is the final phase. They will fall very soon,” Abdelbasset Seida said. “Today is a turning point in Syria’s history. It will put more pressure on the regime and bring an end very soon.”

Even so, the battle for Damascus is in its early stages. The rebels appeared to withstand the government’s assault, and succeeded in overrunning a security base. But Mr Assad still retains a powerful army and a stockpile of chemical weapons. The longer he can hold together his regime, the longer he will be able to survive and perhaps even regroup in the wake of yesterday’s attack.