Damascus 19 Mar (ANA)- Syrian security forces are engaged in fierce clashes with rebels on the eastern outskirts of the capital Damascus, residents say. Artillery shells and rockets landed inside the heart of the city as part of a surprise rebel attack, they say. The insurgents detonated two suicide car bombs in Jobar district before trying to storm government defence lines, observers said. The military responded to the attack with air strikes. Syrian state media says secret tunnels were also used to launch the assault in Jobar. Damascus only has a few opposition held areas, and Jobar is the closest to the city centre. Control of the war-damaged area - which is split between rebels and jihadists on one side and government forces on the other - has been fought over for more than two years.(ANA)

FA/ANA/19 March 2017------