Battle in the capital continuing third day.

BBC’s John Muir now inclined to interpret as FSA claims that this is FSA’s aggressive take - to mark a turning point in this long ongoing conflict.

With international diplomacy virtually paralysed by big-power splits over how to tackle the Syrian crisis, the clashes in Damascus seem to have carried the conflict into a new phase.

The fighting in the capital may have started on Sunday as a case of security forces tackling armed rebels displaced by a crackdown on the suburbs. But the Free Syrian Army has now declared that Operation Damascus Volcano is under way. The Muslim Brotherhood, the biggest and most organised opposition group, has called it a “decisive battle” and urged all Syrians to join a nationwide civil insurrection.

The regime is clearly discomfited. With parts of the capital’s centre paralysed, and thousands of residents displaced within the city limits, state media have dropped all mention of the Damascus fighting.