Islamic militants have taken over the majority of neighbourhoods in a Palestinian refugee camp on the edge of Damascus as fighting continues for the fourth day, Syrian sources said.

Amnesty International has accused the Syrian government of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity by blockading and starving civilians.

Fighting between Syrian rebels and an armed group of Palestinians loyal to President Bashar Assad is raging inside a Damascus refugee camp, activists said today.

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.

An apparent explosion in southern Damascus this morning in which a busload of Iranian pilgrims were reportedly involved was an accident and not a terrorist attack, Syria's interior minister said.