Bomb explodes near Damascus shrine

• An explosion near a Shiite shrine in Damascus wounds at least one, state media says
• The blast occurs at a parking lot used by shrine-goers, it says
• "If you can't call it a civil war, then there are no words for it," French foreign minister says

(CNN) -- A car bomb exploded near a revered Shiite shrine in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Thursday, state media reported, an attack that comes amid a sharp escalation in violence by both sides in the uprising.

The blast follows news that France plans to propose the United Nations be given the power to enforce Kofi Annan's failed peace plan, including considering the possibility of implementing a no-fly zone, to end the bloodshed.

"If you can't call it a civil war, then there are no words to describe it, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said at a news conference in Paris.

The explosion Thursday morning occurred near the holy shrine of Sayyidah Zaynab, which houses the tomb of Prophet Mohammed's granddaughter, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported.

The blast occurred at a parking lot used by shrine-goers, the news agency reported.

A video posted on Youtube by the opposition shortly after the explosion showed black smoke billowing from the vicinity of the shrine, which is located near two Syrian government security buildings.

Heavy gunfire could be heard coming from the vicinity of the explosion, said the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, an opposition group that collects reports of casualties and violence.

CNN cannot independently confirm accounts of violence as access to Syria by journalists has been severely limited.

While state-run media blamed "armed terrorists" for the attack in Damascus, the opposition accused government forces of conducting a campaign of raids and arrests against those participating in demonstrations in the capital city.

The arrests in the mixed Damascus neighborhood of Hajar al-Aswad, according to the LCC, followed a demonstration Wednesday night in the area.

The blast in Damascus follows a claim by President Bashar al-Assad's government that its forces reclaimed the northwestern town of Haffa on Wednesday, forcing rebels to stage a dawn retreat.

The government said state-run SANA that its forces had "restored security and calm after clearing it from the armed terrorist groups."

At the same time, an opposition group said rebel forces withdrew from Haffa and surrounding villages "in order to preserve the lives of civilians." The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Haffa had been under heavy shelling for eight consecutive days.

On Thursday, the opposition accused the government of shelling the western suburbs of Aleppo and an opposition stronghold in Homs, the Local Coordination Committees said.

At least one man was killed in fighting in Deir Ezzor, where the government has set up checkpoints in the city, according to the group.

Al-Assad has been under enormous pressure to end a violent crackdown that started last year against an anti-government protest movement that quickly devolved into an armed revolt.

Thousands of Syrians have died in the violent uprising. Opposition groups estimate the death toll to range from at least 12,000 to more than 14,000.

An effort by Annan, the U.N.'s special envoy to Syria, to broker peace between al-Assad's government and the rebels fell apart amid countering claims of violence.

The French foreign minister is calling on Russia to reverse its opposition to international action led by the United Nations. Russia and China, trade allies of Syria, have blocked U.N. Security Council attempts to pass a resolution calling for an end to the violence and al-Assad to step down.

Fabius, the minister, is urging Russia to authorize the use of force in Syria under Chapter 7 of the Charter of the United Nations, which allows for action to stop the escalation of targeted violence.

"The time to make a decision has arrived. They have to jump ship," Fabius said.

Russia has repeatedly refused to support any action against Syria, accusing the West of using a U.N. Security Council resolution that called for the protection of civilians in Libya to support its effort to oust Moammar Ghadafi.

CNN's Saad Abedine and Joseph Netto contributed to this report.