Rebels declare battle to break military siege on western Damascus

An alliance of several rebel groups in west of the capital Damascus announced Friday their bid to break a government-laid siege on their district, a monitor group reported.

The rebels in the sprawling neighborhood of Daraya west of Damascus announced the commencement of a battle dubbed "The Flames of Daraya" with the aim of breaking the government-imposed siege on their battered neighborhood and to weakening the military abilities of the Syrian army in the nearby military airbase of Mazzeh, according to a statement carried by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The statement said a joint operation room was established to reach "the best results and an attempt by the concerned (rebel) parties to achieve better coordination and better management."

A day earlier, the Observatory said the armed militants have made progress in Daraya, capturing buildings that overlook the Mazzeh military airbase in the Mazzeh district of Damascus.

The UK-based watchdog group said the Syrian military forces and warplanes heavily pounded Daraya.

The military ground troops and gunships shelled areas in Daraya with tens of rockets and crude barrel bombs, as part of intense battles that have been flaring in Daraya since last Sunday between several jihadi groups and the Syrian army, the Observatory added.

Daraya was one of the first areas to rise against the government at the beginning of the Syrian crisis.