Activists: Regime Forces Attack Damascus District

A child walks past damaged buildings in Deir al-Zor April 4, 2013.

Activists say Syrian government forces have attacked a key neighborhood of Damascus, trapping several people under rubble.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says military forces bombed the district of Barzeh, where rebels trying to topple President Bashar al-Assad are known to operate.

The Associated Press reported several people killed in a barrage of rockets that exploded in a residential area.

Syria does not allow foreign journalists to operate in most of the country, making it difficult to confirm reports of violence.

While rebels have successful overtaken key areas of the country, Assad's military forces still maintain control of the capital.

The conflict in Syria began in March 2011 as peaceful protests but has since escalated into a civil war, with the United Nations estimating at least 70,000 killed.