Fighting has erupted throughout Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus, with observers claiming Islamic State has entered the area, less than 10 miles from the Syrian capital’s most secure hub.
Yarmouk, the largest Palestinian camp in Syria, has been a frequent battle zone pitting regime forces against mainstream and Islamist rebels during more than three years of fighting, which along with a brutal siege has emptied it of all but around 15,000 of its pre-war population of close to 200,000 residents.
However, no organised Isis presence has previously been reported inside the camp. The terror group has a hold over much of eastern Syria, part of the north and the Qalamoun mountains near neighbouring Lebanon, but it is not known to have established a foothold in Damascus.