Two RPGs fired by opposition forces hit Syrian President Bashar Assad’s Ba'ath party offices in a pre-dawn attack in Damascus on Sunday as the horizon of a civil war comes closer to reality.
BBC, basing its reports on residents and activists in the capital, said smoke was seen rising from one building, but another report said there were no signs of damage. The building was empty at the time.
It was thesecond attack by the opposition in the greater Damascus metro area since the uprising began more than eight months ago and the first within the capital itself.
At least 24 demonstrators were killed on Saturday as Assad continued to ignore his announced agreement with the Arab League to end the violence.
Having backed himself into a “do-or-die” battle, Assad told the British Sunday Times he is willing to die rather than allow foreign forces to defend opposition forces.
"The conflict will continue, and the pressure to subjugate Syria will continue. Syria will not bow down,” he said.
Concerning the possibility of a repeat of NATO’s intervention in Libya until the opposition toppled Muammar Qaddafi, Assad said, "If they are logical, rational and realistic, they shouldn't do it because the repercussions are very dire. Military intervention will destabilize the region as a whole, and all countries will be affected.
"We, as a state, do not have a policy to be cruel with citizens," he told the Times. "The important thing is to look for the wrongdoers and hold them responsible for their actions."