Syrian Warplanes Bomb Suburbs Of Damascus

Activists say Syrian warplanes are bombarding suburbs of Damascus as government troops continue an offensive against rebels on the outskirts of the capital.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says warplanes on January 4 were hitting Duma, northeast of the city, while army artillery was shelling Daraya to the southwest.

The fighting comes the day after a car bomb at a gas station in Damascus killed at least nine people.

The official SANA news agency blamed the blast on "terrorists," a term officials use to describe rebels fighting against President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

The United Nations estimates that more than 60,000 people have been killed in Syria since protests against Assad's regime began in March 2011.

The conflict is now widely considered a civil war.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP