A senior Syrian government official said Jan. 26 that armed groups had taken control of certain areas of the Damascus suburb of Douma. The official hinted that the government would negotiate a ceasefire with the rebels in Douma along the lines of what was negotiated in Zabadani on Jan. 18. Reports of subsequent Syrian army operations in the town call into question whether talks will take place. Arab League monitors have said they will not venture into Douma due to security concerns. Nearby Harasta was the site of the first armed attack on a Syrian government installation located in the greater Damascus area on Nov. 16, when the Free Syrian Army reportedly launched rocket propelled grenades at a facility belonging to the Syrian Directorate for Air Force Intelligence. As of Jan. 26, Syrian troops were reportedly deployed in Harasta. Arab League observers briefly visited Harasta that day. In Irbin, Arab League monitors visited a Syrian army checkpoint on the edge of the city Jan. 26, but did not go past. They reported seeing some 100 anti-Assad demonstrators in the background chanting slogans against the regime. Syrian military forces were reported to have surrounded Mesraba by a resident of that suburb on Jan. 26.
