Syria's internet back amid strife

Egypt Air is to resume flights to Damascus and Aleppo from Monday after a three-day halt, the head of the airline said. Egypt Air also said roads leading to the two cities' airports are secure.

A network monitoring firm has confirmed that there has been a `largely complete' restoration of the Internet in Syria.

Syrian state media says Internet and the telephone service have been restored in Damascus.

The Internet is working in Syria's capital of Damascus, residents said, after a two-day blackout.

This comes as violence between government troops and rebel forces around Damascus intensifies.

Syria's new opposition coalition have edged closer towards choosing a prime minister to lead a transitional government.

Former Prime Minister Riad Hijab is the strongest candidate for the job, delegates said after three days of talks in Cairo that furthered the dominance of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Mr Hijab, who has the backing of Jordan and Gulf states, was a longtime loyalist in President Assad's Baath Party before defecting in August.

Coalition insiders said he is likely to be chosen before or during a gathering in mid-December of the Friends of Syria.

Google has promoted its Speak2Tweet service with Twitter, allowing people to leave voice messages on Twitter as a way to get around the internet blackout in Syria.

In a post on its Google+ page, Google said:

The UN's refugee agency said it found conditions in the Syrian city of Homs "desperate" as thousands of people are living in unheated shelters and a quarter of a million people have been displaced from their homes.

UN spokeswoman Melissa Flemming also said Syrian refugees in Jordan reported being fired at as they attempted to flee shelling by Assad's troops. She said:

"We have received very disturbing reports from Syrian refugees in Jordan who say they were targeted as they were fleeing. UNHCR calls on all sides to ensure that at least civilians have access to safe passage outside the country."

Listen to her full account here.

ITV News spoke to an activist from the Syrian Network for Human Rights inside the Damascus who said he fears the government has cut off the internet as they are preparing for "more massacres."

The activist, who spoke to ITV News via satellite phone, said the cuts to communications have made people feel scared and isolated. He said people were worried about getting supplies in the cold, as well as not being able to contact the rest of the world.

Activists in Damascus said Assad's troops destroyed the telecommunication building in the capital city of Damascus yesterday.

Video footage, posted by activists today, purports to show the main telecommunications building in Bebila, Damascus, destroyed.

ITV News cannot verify video footage posted by activists inside Syria.