Fighting continues in Syria_美文_趣味英语-查字典英语网

Fighting continues in Syria

In the capital, Damascus, Assad's forces appeared to be clawing back territory taken by insurgents earlier in the week, driving them out of the Mezze district, according to residents and opposition.

Abdel Jaber, 45, was exhausted after fleeing his home in the Midan district of Damascus as fierce fighting engulfed the neighborhood.

Jaber and his family are part of an exodus of Syrians from Damascus and elsewhere. Many have fled across the border into Lebanon in recent days, leaving behind some of the worst violence in the 16-month uprising against Assad.

Meanwhile, Malaysia's government says it is shutting its embassy in Syria and evacuating more than 130 students and diplomats because of the escalating civil war.

In a separate development, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Sunday stressed that Israel was monitoring the spiraling civil war in Syria and was prepared to react if the regime's chemical or biological weapons reached the hands of rebel forces or Lebanese Hezbollah.

"We're closely following what is transpiring there and are ready for any possible development,"Netanyahu said at the opening of the weekly cabinet session, according to a prime minister's office statement sent to Xinhua.

About the broadcaster:

CJ Henderson is a foreign expert for China Daily's online culture department. CJ is a graduate of the University of Sydney where she completed a Bachelors degree in Media and Communications, Government and International Relations, and American Studies. CJ has four years of experience working across media platforms, including work for 21st Century Newspapers in Beijing, and a variety of media in Australia and the US.