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Syria's Assad to Address Nation Sunday

In this photo dated June 20, 2011 and released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian President Bashar Assad delivers a speech in Damascus, Syria, at Damascus University.

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January 05, 2013

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is set to deliver a speech Sunday, in a rare address to his embattled nation.

The state-run news agency SANA said Assad will "speak about the latest developments" in Syria, a country wracked by a nearly two-year civil war that analysts say has killed more than 60,000 people. The news agency did not provide further details.

The address will be the president's first in months, and comes as intense fighting between rebels and government forces continues on the outskirts of Damascus.

In this image from video obtained from the Shaam News Network, smoke rises due to shelling in the Damascus countryside, Jan. 2, 2013.

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​​​Fighting has raged for weeks near the capital, as rebels continue to press an offensive aimed at toppling the government. Forces loyal to Assad have responded with heavy artillery and deadly airstrkes.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported fighting Saturday in suburbs south of the city, with at least 10 fatalities.