Parts of Syria's capital were under siege Thursday, with pitched fighting reported between Syrian government forces and rebels.

Activists report shelling and house-to-house raids in Daraya, on the edge of Damascus, as well as clashes in the city’s Hajar al-Aswad district.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebel fighters killed or wounded 10 government troops at a military checkpoint on the Daraa-Damascus highway.

The group told VOA at least 41 people were killed during fighting in Damascus on Wednesday.

The Observatory also said clashes continue in the northern city of Aleppo, where some foreign fighters are reported to have joined the opposition.

Speaking in Damascus, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Miqdad accused Turkey of providing arms to Syrian rebels opposed to the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.

“The aspects that have fueled this crisis are well known. Armed groups, terrorist groups, support by regional circles including the dangerous support by Turkey of the terrorist gangs, of providing these with sophisticated weapons and of giving each terrorist in the world, including al-Qaida, free access to Turkey to come to Syria.”

In Ankara, Turkish and U.S. officials were holding their first “operational planning” meeting to coordinate military, intelligence and political responses to the Syrian crisis.

Meanwhile, fighting between pro- and anti-Assad gunmen erupted for a fourth day Thursday in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli. The clashes breached a truce agreed to by political leaders less than 24 hours earlier in a bid to halt fighting fueled by the conflict in neighboring Syria.

Sunni Muslims have led the revolt against Mr. Assad, whose minority Alawite sect has mostly stood with him. Sunni-Alawite tensions have been growing in parts of Lebanon as well, such as Tripoli, where the two groups live in neighboring districts.

Source: VOA News