Activists say Assad forces have clashed with army defectors in Kfar Souseh, where foreign ministry is located
There was fighting overnight between Syrian government forces and army defectors in the Kfar Souseh district of the capital, Damascus, opposition groups said. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Kfar Souseh is a high-security area housing the foreign ministry and several security and intelligence agencies. It has been the scene of frequent demonstrations against the president, Bashar al-Assad, since the uprising began.
"Violent clashes broke out between rebel fighters and regime troops at a checkpoint," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Observatory and the Local Co-ordination Committees said explosions and gunfire were also heard in several other neighbourhoods of Damascus.
Syrian rebels have claimed they carried out a sophisticated attack that killed political and security officials meeting in the capital. A statement posted online claimed that those killed included the deputy chief of staff for security affairs, Major General Assef Shawkat; the defence minister Dawoud Rajha; the interior minister Mohammad al-Shaar and the former defence minister Hassan Turkmani.
Al-Shaar denied the reports in a phone call to state-run Syrian TV, saying they were "laughable". "I am speaking to you from my office at the interior ministry," he said.
Turkmani also called the station and said the reports were proof of "media bankruptcy". "My colleagues and I are well and carrying out our duty to serve the country … these are blatant lies," he said. The station later interviewed Turkmani in his office.
Syrian officials rarely respond to claims and statements issued by the opposition, and their quick denials on Sunday were unusual.
Clashes in the heart of the Syrian capital have become more common recently but are still rare compared with other opposition strongholds in Syria that witness deadly violence almost daily. The Local Co-ordination Committees said "huge reinforcements" were brought in to Kfar Souseh in the wake of the overnight fighting.
World powers remain divided on how to end Syria's crisis. The US and other western and Arab nations have called for Assad to leave power, and the US and European Union have placed increasingly stiff sanctions on Damascus. But with Russia and China blocking significant new UN penalties, US officials are trying to get consensus among other allies about ways to promote Assad's removal.
Barack Obama said on Saturday that the members of the G8 industrial nations supported the UN's peace plan for Syria, but said it had not taken hold fast enough.