At least 30 civilians have been killed in pro-Assad airstrikes on the East Ghouta area near Syria’s capital Damascus.
In the latest mass killing amid the ongoing pro-Assad attempt to overrun the opposition-held area, warplanes bombed a residential area in the town of Misraba, slaying 20 — including 11 women and a child — and wounding more than 40, according to local sources.
At least 10 other civilians were killed across East Ghouta in attacks on Wednesday and Thursday.
Despite a supposed “de-escalation zone” agreed by Russia and rebels this summer, pro-Assad offensives have continued and the regime’s siege of the area and its almost 400,000 residents has been tightened, threatening malnutrition and medical conditions.
However, the regime has been unsettled by a rebel counter-attack which is threatening to capture a base near Harasta which is a source of some of the rocketing and shelling. Last weekend, pro-Assad outlets acknowledged the loss of almost 50 personnel within 24 hours. Reports this morning identify a fourth general who has been killed, Ibrahim Dabraha, the leader of a Commando Battalion in the Repubican Guard.
The Syrian military said it has sent elite reinforcements to the base to prevent its loss.
See Syria Daily, Jan 3: Rebels Try to Take Key Regime Base Near Damascus
