Clashes rage in western Damascus' countryside

Clashes renewed on Saturday between the Syrian government troops and the armed militant groups in the western countryside of Damascus, local media reported.
The clashes flared at the northern rim of the Damascus' suburb of Daraya when the rebels bombed out a tunnel which the government troops were using to move into the area, the reports said.
The intensity of clashes were evident as ambulances carrying military personnel were spotted speeding toward the military hospital of Mazzeh, a district close Daraya.
The fresh violence in Daraya has come as the government troops and the rebels there were said to have been planning a truce-like reconciliation akin to what happened in some of the rebel-held areas around Damascus, where the Syrian army and the rebels agreed on a ceasefire and the entry of relief aid to civilians.
Meanwhile, the Islamic State (IS) militants have consolidated their presence in the country's northern province of Aleppo, capturing 13 villages over the past few days close to the strategic border town of Azaz, which is under the control of a rival rebel group, according to opposition activists.
Separately, the state news agency SANA said that two people were killed and 13 others wounded Saturday when rebels in the southern province of Daraa fired mortar shells that landed at the towns of Dama and Ariqa at the outskirts of the southern province of Swaida.
The Syrian troops have been deadlocked in intense battles against the rebel groups across Syria during the country's long- standing crisis that has claimed the lives of over 100,000 people and displaced millions of others.