Syria’s army deployed armoured vehicles near central Damascus as troops battled rebels around the capital in what activists said could be a turning point in the 16-month uprising.

Thousands of mourners carrying Syrian flags and pictures of the dead took part in a mass funeral today for 44 people killed in twin suicide bombings that targeted intelligence agency compounds in Damascus.

Twin explosions that shook the heart of the Syrian capital today were from suicide car bombs that may have been the work of al Qaida militants, state TV said.