Fighting in Damascus has continued into the night. A resident in Kfar Souseh tells Al Jazeera that she can hear shelling, explosions and gunfire "every once in a while".

She says the fighting in Damascus started in Tadamon, a poor neighbourhood where rebels had carried out attacks against the regime and shabiha.

"In response, the area was shelled, and so was Midan, an area where protests have been held every day.

"Some residents fled the fighting to nearby areas such as Yarmouk, where schools have been opened up by force to house the displaced.

"Now people in Tadamon and Midan can't leave their areas because of shelling and snipers.

"Residents of Midan and Tadamon were threatened through loudspeakers that they would be shelled again if they didn't hand over the Free Syrian Army fighters.

"What happened next was that other rebel groups started operations in other areas in order to take pressure off Tadamon and Midan."