DAMASCUS, March 21 (Xinhua) -- The battles that have flared in the eastern part of the capital Damascus between the rebels and the government forces have eclipsed the Mother's Day marked in Syria every March 21.
Over the past three days, the rebels unleashed two waves of attacks on the eastern part of the capital Damascus, attempting to advance and break a government forces' siege.
They fired mortar shells, and blew up cars, filling the skyline of the capital with thick dark smoke, that have blackened, not only the sky, but the hearts of the Damascenes, whose city has been calm in terms of intense battles for over a year and a half.
In the eastern part of Damascus, particularly in areas close to the clashes sites, the people cowered in their homes, hearing nothing but the deafening sound of shelling and battles, amid an uncanny feeling of apprehension of any rebel breach that could threaten their very existence.
Syrians celebrate the Mother's Day on March 21, but this day was marked differently, as the rebels decided to unleash their second wave of violent offensive on Tuesday, a day after the Syrian army foiled their first attempt to infiltrate the government-controlled parts east of Damascus, which they waged on Sunday.
As the previous attack, Tuesday's attack started at around 5:00 a.m. local time, also as the first one with the detonation of a car bomb that was the sign of the big offensive.
Mortar shells and explosive bullets rained down on the eastern neighborhoods of Damascus, namely Abbasiyeen, Qassa, Bab Touma, Tijara, and Adawi area.
The apprehension in the hearts of the people there was unimaginable, as it's not only sounds of sporadic battles, but a declared goal by the rebels to infiltrate the eastern flank of the capital.
In that area, the Mother's Day just added to the sadness of the people.
Samar Qasaballi, a mother of two who lives in Adawi, said she stayed indoor for three days, due to the battles.
About her feelings on the Mother's Day, she told Xinhua that it couldn't be any sadder.
"I feel so sad for my children, because they are missing out on the best years of their childhood, which they haven't lived as normal kids in safe places," she said.
Just tens minutes from Adawai, Kinda Makdessi, a mother of a seven-month toddler, said fear is the worst feeling ever.
"The worst feeling in this world is fear for your son, while you're helpless and can't do anything for him," she said.
Makdessi's fear for the wellbeing of her son has deprived her from the usually-lovely feeling of motherhood.
"Everyone who tells you that the motherhood is beautiful is a liar, because the fear will double, the worries will double and you feel the war double as well," she said.
The words of these mothers slice through the heart, because it's the only time when people speak without masks, when they fear for their children, when war and the threat of losing ones' life are at the doorstep.
The state media assured the citizens in Damascus that the rebels couldn't make any breakthrough and that the army was eliminating them and pushing them back.
It's true, many people say, as the capital is a redline and the Syrian army will do the impossible to keep it safe; but still, the people, and the mothers in particular, cannot help but fear for their children.
In Fares Khouri Street, which is the closest to the frontline where the army and the rebels are fighting, Youssef Khalil sat with his mother since Sunday, when the first wave of attack started.
"I have a job, but I cannot leave my mother alone, to whom shall I leave her? to the al-Qaida groups?"
Youssef and many of the residents of eastern neighborhoods close to the frontline follow the Christian faith, and the idea of al-Qaida groups at their doorstep is not an easy thing at all.
The rebels unleashed their attacks from Jobar and other areas in the Eastern Ghouta region on the eastern outskirts of Damascus.
The intensity of the attacks reduced during the night Tuesday, with the government saying the army again foiled the attacks.
Still, sporadic shelling could still be heard reverberating across the capital.