The Harsh Truth Of The Syrian Civil War In One Surreal Photo

On Thursday Majd Arar, a Syrian Engineer from Damascus, tweeted this photo taken by a group of activists in the neighborhood of Jobar in Damascus.

Jobar, a strategically significant area that leads into the very center of the capital, is a rebel stronghold of sorts and one of the first places hit by chemical weapons on August 21. Heavy shelling and fighting followed.

As you can see, Jobar is in the dark while regime-held neighborhoods closer to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's seat of power are lit up.

The view indicates the most heartbreaking reality of the 31-month civil war: At its core, the war pits Syrians against Syrians. And it's tearing the country apart.

Yes, there are foreign jihadists fighting with the rebels as well as Iranian troops, Iraqi militias, and guerrilla fighters from the Lebanese group Hezbollah fighting with the Syrian army.

But overwhelmingly, the people that are dying, fleeing, and fighting are Syrians.

Here's a map showing how Jobar is connected to key government facilities at the heart of the capital:

The original tweet: