Syria Rebels, Troops Clash near Damascus

Syrian rebels and troops clashed in a Damascus suburb near a branch of the feared air force intelligence service, as monitors reported seven people killed nationwide.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported dawn clashes in Jaraman south of Damascus near a branch of the air force intelligence service, one of the most feared in Bashar Assad's regime.

Seven civilians were killed across the country early on Wednesday, the watchdog said, reporting violent battles and shelling by regime troops in several areas.

Also in Damascus province, rebels and troops clashed near the village of Beit Sahm, the monitor said, adding that one civilian was shot dead in Daraya in the same province.

Another two civilians were killed in the northwestern province of Idlib, where Mseifra village was shelled by regime forces, as was Shaheel village in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour.

In Idlib, regime forces ambushed and killed four civilians in the village of Maaret al-Numan, the site of frequent violence.

The latest deaths came a day after violence killed 69 people -- 36 civilians, 25 troops and eight rebels, the Observatory said.

More than 16,500 people have been killed in violence in Syria since the uprising erupted in March last year, it says.

This figure is impossible to independently verify, and the United Nations no longer publishes its own estimates of the death toll.