Damascus and Homs residents say communication lines are back up, amid signs that Assad's forces will launch new offensive

This article is more than 7 years old

This article is more than 7 years old

Internet and telephone services have been restored in most parts of Syria following a two-day, nationwide communications blackout.

Authorities had attributed the latest outage to a "terrorist" attack or a technical fault, but President Bashar al-Assad's government has previously been accused of cutting internet and telephone connections to sabotage communication between opposition activists.

Residents in the capital Damascus and the central city of Homs have confirmed the internet is back up and running. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition-linked monitor, said connectivity had returned to most provinces.

Rebels say the blackout is likely a sign that Assad's forces are due to launch a concerted offensive in the capital.

The Observatory also said Syrian jets bombed rebel-held areas of Damascus, namely the suburbs of Kafar Souseh and Darraya, on Saturday.

A spokesperson said: "Syrian regular forces are trying to control the areas surrounding the capital and clashed with rebel fighters."

Activists also reported clashes and aerial strikes in the provinces of Homs, Deir al-Zor, Idlib and in Aleppo, where they said 14 rebels fighters were killed during an assault on an army base in the town of Khanasser.

This week, the largely Sunni Muslim rebels have been making important gains across the country by overrunning military bases. Clashes have been reported near the Aqraba and Babilla districts on the south-eastern outskirts of Damascus, which lead to the international airport.

Meanwhile, Syria's newly formed opposition coalition said it is open to the idea of an international peacekeeping force entering into Syria, should Assad and his allies leave power.

The opposition are wary that such a move could create divisions along ethnic and religious lines, and allow Assad a sanctuary in an area where many of his minority Alawite sect live.

"If this is the first condition then we can start discussing everything. There will be no political process until the ruling family and all those who underpin the regime leave," said opposition spokesman Walid al-Bunni. "Whoever is putting forward a political plan has to know that after 50,000 dead and 200,000 wounded and five million displaced, the Syrians will not accept those who repressed them and killed them for the last 50 years staying on," he added.