Syria: Violence erupts in two Christian areas

On August 1, fierce fighting broke out between opposition forces and government troops near two Christian areas in Damascus for the first time after 17 months of violence across the Middle Eastern country.

Meanwhile, the war forAleppohas entered the fifth consecutive day.

An armored vehicle destroyed during clashes in the town of Atareb, 20 km fromAleppo25 km to the east on July 31. (Photo: AFP/TTXVN)

Human Rights WatchSyriaThe UK-based agency said fighting broke out early on the same day in the Bab Tuma and Bab Sharqi suburbs ofDamascus, two historically Christian areas of the capital.

This is the first time that conflict has occurred in these two areas, which the opposition has never approached before.

A witness said the opposition attacked a military base outside Bab Sharqi at 4 a.m. (0100 GMT) and the fighting lasted about 15 minutes.

Bab Tuma and Bab Sharqi belong to the old town ofDamascusThese are tourist attractions and have also seen several pro-government protests.

According to AFP/THX, on the same day, the United Nations Monitoring Mission (UNSM) in Syria announced that they were deeply concerned about the violent developments in Aleppo city, confirming that armed opposition forces, for the first time, used heavy weapons, including tanks./.

According to Vietnam+M