Fear In Syria's Capital, As War Becomes Reality

14:09

November 08, 2012

This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrians standing at the scene after a blast occurred in the Mazzeh al-Jabal district of the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday. State-run television said several people were killed and injured, among them children. (SANA/AP)

The Syrian capital of Damascus, a stronghold of President Bashar Assad, has been largely shielded from the bloody uprising turned civil war. But that's changing now.

Over the summer, Syrians living in Damascus knew they were facing impending chaos, but now "they really are scared," longtime war correspondent Janine di Giovanni told Here & Now's Robin Young.

Giovanni, who just returned from a Syrian reporting trip, said people in the capital city were taking their children out of school, out of fear of suicide bombers.

"There's a worry about a shortage of food, petrol and oil," she said. "I think very much now... it very much is a country at war."

New York Times: Denial Is Slipping Away as War Arrives in Damascus
The Daily Beast: Champagne Flows While Syria Burns

Guest:

Janine di Giovanni, veteran war correspondent and author. Her latest book is Ghosts By Daylight: A Memoir of War and Love. She tweets at @janinedigi.

This segment aired on November 8, 2012.