Damascus: Mid-day news update 4-12-13

The mid-day news update is provided by Shahed News, a network of vetted Syrian citizen journalists providing independent, accurate and reliable news from Damascus and its suburbs.

Damascus:

* [Regime] heavy bombardment on Jobar district east of Damascus. Casualty figures not yet in. Two shells landed near Borj al-Moalimeen [Educators’ Tower]. The bombardment also targeted the industrial area between Qabon and Jobar. The sounds of the bombing were heard across several parts of the capital.

* Intense security deployment after Friday prayers near Ibrahim al-Khalil mosque in the Barzeh Residences after more than 15 people arrested in the area on Thursday.

Outer Damascus:

* [Regime] tank, rocket and artillery bombardment since this morning on Duma, Moadamiyah, al-Nabik, Yalda, al-Zabadani, Spayneh and Bait Sahem.

* [Regime forces] heavily bomb the town of Spayneh. [The air force] raided the town of Yalda during the Friday prayers.

* Regime forces heavily bomb the gardens of Melayha. Fierce clashes [between the FSA and the army] occurred near THEMICO.

* Choppers target the town of Yabroud and 4 people were killed in the bombardment on al-Nabik.

Politics:

* The G8 foreign ministers state from London that more humanitarian aid (non-lethal assistance) will be provided for the Syrian people. American President Barak Obama says that the situation in Syria has reached a critical stage.