In news from Syria, U.N.-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi arrived in the capital of Damascus Thursday as government forces attacked the outskirts of the capital in a bid to root out rebel forces. Opposition activists said helicopter gunships were firing on suburban areas. During his visit, Brahimi is expected to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as well as with rebels opposed to the Assad regime. Brahimi has replaced Kofi Annan, who resigned his negotiating role in Syria at the end of last month amid a diplomatic standoff over a conflict that has killed more than 20,000 people in the past 18 months. Speaking Thursday, Brahimi’s spokesperson stressed the difficulty of the mission.

Ahmad Fawzi: “The mission is really daunting, and Mr Brahimi said it, as Kofi Annan had said it before. We said it before, and we say it again, that there are countries with influence and others with interests, and we implore those influential countries that have clout over the parties to use their influence to curb the bleeding. And this first mission is of extreme seriousness, ending the bloodshed, then moving toward a political phase for negotiation on how to end this crisis.”