- More than 240 people were reported dead across Syria on Sunday
- A video shows Syria's vice president in Damascus after claims of his defection
- A rebel spokesman says he worried that the vice president would be captured
- An opposition activist says Daraya is under fire because it revolted against the regime
(CNN) -- It's been a shocking few days in the Syrian civil war, with hundreds of bodies reportedly found in Daraya and with the country's vice president -- who had allegedly defected in recent days -- suddenly showing up at an official meeting in Damascus.
Here are some of the other latest key developments in the 17-month bloody conflict:
Dissidents report incessant carnage in Daraya
The greatest tales of terror now come from the city of Daraya, where an opposition group said more than 245 bodies were found in the past two days.
Opposition activists posted video of mass burials Sunday, a day after 200 people were found dead in the Damascus suburb.
It was unclear when those people had been killed. Opposition activists say government troops reclaimed Daraya after a week-long siege that was followed by scores of summary executions.
The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency said government troops had cleared the city of "terrorists," and a state-friendly television network Sunday aired scenes of residents thanking Syrian soldiers for driving out opposition fighters, whom the report blamed for the deaths.
But CNN spoke by Skype to an activist named Osama, who said the army moved into a neighborhood on Friday and began sweeping through buildings where families were taking cover. At least 50 bodies were found in one apartment basement, he said.
It's not surprising that Daraya came under attack, opposition activist Rafif Jouejati said.
"Daraya is being targeted because it is the closest to the capital, and it is one of the first cities that revolted against the Assad regime and was the spearhead of the peaceful demonstrations in the beginning of the revolution," said Jouejati, a spokeswoman for the Local Coordination Committees of Syria.
"I believe the regime thinks that the only way to end the revolution is (to) kill, kill, kill. Deep down, they know they are failing, but they want to destroy as much as possible before it is over."
One death consumes Syrian family's life
Across Syria, at least 240 people were reported dead Sunday, the LCC siad.
CNN cannot independently verify reports of death tolls, as the Syrian regime has severely limited access by international journalists.
Opposition activists say rockets pummel the cradle of the revolt
Daraa, the birthplace Syria's uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, endured a gruesome day on violence. At least 76 people were killed in and around the southern city on Sunday, including many killed in rocket attacks on surrounding villages, according to the LCC.
Video posted by the opposition showed volunteers attempting to rescue survivors from a building in the village of Bussra al-Sham that collapsed after being hit. In one, a man sits in shock, covered in dust and grime after being pulled from the structure.
Al-Assad's inner circle: The vice president resurfaces
New video shows Syrian Vice President Farouq al-Sharaa in Damascus holding an official meeting in the capital, despite reports this month that he had defected.
The video, distributed by Reuters, showed al-Sharaa meeting with a top Iranian official, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, who Syrian state media said arrived in Damascus on Saturday.
Iran's state-run Press TV also reported that al-Sharaa had met with an Iranian official "amid anti-Assad TV's defection rumors."
More than a week ago, a spokesman for the rebel Free Syrian Army said al-Sharaa had fled the regime and that rebels were trying to help al-Sharaa flee to Jordan.
On Sunday, FSA spokesman Louai Miqdad said the group was aware that al-Sharaa resurfaced in Damascus.
"Last week, we announced al-Sharaa's defection because we lost communications with the unit that was responsible for managing his escape outside of Syria," Miqdad said. "When we lost contact with that unit, we knew that something went wrong and that Farouq al-Sharaa may have been caught. This is why we rushed to announce his defection so we can save his life. We didn't want the regime to kill al-Sharaa and then blame it on the rebels."
Had al-Sharaa defected, it would have marked the highest-level departure from al-Assad's regime yet. A stream of Syrian officials have resigned from the regime in recent weeks, including Republican Guard Brig. Gen. Manaf Tlas and Prime Minister Riyad Hijab.
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