Damascus resident describes the 'collapse of ordinary life'

Singed vehicles at the site of an explosion outside Syrian highest court in Damascuson on Thursday Credit: REUTERS/Khaled alHariri

While diplomatic efforts get under way to negotiate a political transition in Syria, the violence inside the country is getting worse.

"Omar" - not his real name - lives in the Al Midan neighbourhood of Damascus. He told ITV News about the situation in the capital. The following account is his own words, which have been translated from Arabic:

This video purports to show Government troops patrolling the streets of Al Kisweh in Damascus. ITV News cannot independently confirm the veracity or location of this footage:

This video claims to show gunfire in the streets of Douma today, one of the cities that refugees have fled to the capital from. Again, ITV News cannot independently verify this.