BEIRUT (AP) - The Syrian capital of Damascus is again the scene of battles between rebels and troops loyal to President Bashar Assad.

Activists say the two sides clashed today in contested neighborhoods in the northeast, and that the rebels were able to shut down a key highway out of the capital with a row of burning tires.

The latest fighting in Damascus is some of the heaviest to hit the city since July. It began Wednesday with a series of rebel attacks on regime checkpoints along the main road to northern Syria.

The two sides have been fighting in the area since then, and regime troops have shelled a number of rebel-held districts.

The violence has brought the civil war closer to the heart of the capital, which has mostly been spared heavy fighting.

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