The Guardian reports that rebel fighters have continued their battle in Damascus for a fifth day, attempting to consolidate the progress they’d made over the past week. Fighters reportedly managed to hold onto areas near both the presidential palace and the city center and have claimed a large number of defectors from the Syrian regime.
Despite the recent violence flaring in the country’s capital, and following the death of defense minister Daoud Rajha, President Basher al-Assad has maintained his silence. His current whereabouts remain unknown, but activists and residents claim he’s holed up in his family’s palace in Latakia, located in the Alawite heartland.
