Fresh Onslaught in Damascus and Aleppo

Government forces renew attack on rebels with heavy weapons.

Fierce clashes and government shelling have been reported in the Syrian cities of Aleppo and Damascus, as the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's government continues.

Government forces shelled several suburbs of Damascus on Tuesday, with security forces also carrying out raids in the capital, anti-government rights groups said.

In Aleppo, "fighting broke out between government forces and rebel fighters in the [southwestern] districts of Saif al-Dawla and Salaheddin", the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said.

The army had advanced on Saif al-Dawla on Monday after last week retaking neighbouring Salaheddin, where small pockets of rebel fighters remain.