Situation in Damascus

Zaid sent me this (I cite with his permission):  "My uncle travels to Damascus from Baghdad every six months to see a doctor for his heart.  Last time he was there, he had the same view as everyone else, that things were very calm in Syria, that the media has exaggerated the impact of the revolution and that Damascus was completely normal.  He returned from Damascus just now and he says that Damascus has become militarized, chaotic.  He says that he heard gunfire regularly, that there are checkpoints everywhere, that the city feels like it is under siege.  He says that he felt very unsafe (this coming from a Baghdadi) and that he won’t return until the revolution is over. "