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In a surprising turn, Damascus, which had been relatively peaceful over the last week, has apparently come under attack again by rebel forces.

And in the country's largest city and commercial hub of Aleppo, a large armored column of government troops prepared to roll into the city to dislodge fighters from key neighborhoods.











Rebels tried to take the government radio and TV building but were repulsed with heavy losses. It seems pretty clear that without heavy weapons, the rebels' offensives lack the punch to dislodge the Syrian army from their prepared positions.

But the kind of urban warfare they are fighting in Damascus and Aleppo don't require heavy weapons. The PR value to the resistance of attacking the cities in the first place is far more important than any progress they make in confronting the Syrian army. And President Assad plays into the hands of the opposition with his indiscriminate use of force on civilians.

With more than 200,000 refugees who have fled Aleppo, the humanitarian situation on the border with Turkey 70 miles away is becoming dire. UN officials are bracing for a huge new influx of homeless people who will need food, shelter, and especially water in the searing heat. The chances for a humanitarian disaster are high unless supplies can be rushed to the new camps being prepared.

It's not expected to get any better anytime soon.