Syrian forces battled rebels in Damascus Monday in what witnesses call the fiercest fighting so far in the Syrian capital.

One Syrian rebel fighter told the French News Agency the fighting is the “turning point” in the 17-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.

Residents are fleeing neighborhoods under attack and government armored vehicles line the roads leading into and out of southern Damascus.

The International Red Cross on Sunday a state of civil war across more parts of Syria, widening its earlier designation.

In Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the West of using 'blackmail” to pressure Moscow into backing a stronger U.N. resolution against Syria. Lavrov said diplomats are threatening to block a Russian resolution extending the observer mission in Syria if Russia vetoes stronger sanctions.