LATEST: Rebels Start Offensive for Al Fu’ah, Near Idlib in Northwest Syria
MONDAY FEATURE
Special: How and Why Media Are Failing to Report the War
UPDATE 1430 GMT: Activists report that at least 23 people have been killed and more than 100 wounded in Monday’s regime bombardment of Douma.
Most of the casualties are women and children. Several families are still buried under rubble, as fires burn through the Damascus suburb.
UPDATE 1100 GMT: Activists report more regime bombing of Douma on Monday with “vacuum missiles”, with dozens of casualties:
Civilian casualties ebbed in Syria on Sunday, with the Local Coordinating Committees reporting “only” 34 people killed. However, reports and videos continued to testified to the Syrian regime’s deadly assault on those in Douma, northeast of Damascus.
Months of airstrikes, ground attacks, and siege have killed hundreds in the suburb. Last Thursday, 76 people were killed in and near Douma, amid more than 40 strikes.
In the last two weeks, rebels have twice fired scores of rockets at military positions inside Damascus, hoping to ease the pressure on Douma and other opposition-held areas of East Ghouta. However, despite the threat of more rebel rockets, the Syrian airforce continued attacks over the weekend.
Video of the wounded, including children, in a field hospital in Douma:
Rebels have held Douma since October 2012. The suburb is one of the key bases of Jaish al-Islam, the rebel faction that led the rocket offensives on Damascus.
Rebels Start Offensive for Al Fu’ah, Near Idlib in Northwest Syria
Rebels have started the battle for Al Fu’ah, northeast of Idlib city, in northwest Syria:
Factions involved in the offensive include Jaish al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham.
A Jaish al-Islam spokesman, Islam Alloush, said Al Fu’ah is vital to regime transport of supplies and fighters, including Iranian and Hezbollah personnel.
Clashes southwest of Al Fu’ah, as insurgents try to cut road to Idlib city:
Detonation of the tallest building in the area:
Regime attempts to give aerial support to their defenders in Al Fu’ah are being complicated by heavy cloud in the area.
Regime Counter-Offensive South of Damascus, Outcome Inconclusive
After weeks of rebel advance in Daraa Province, south of Damascus, the Syrian military has launched a counter-offensive, according to activists on both sides.
Syrian forces have tried to retake the village of Deir Addas, but pro-rebel accounts claims that they have not succeeded. Fighting is also reported over the nearby rebel-held area of Kafr Shams.
Rebel reinforcements moving to Deir Addas:
Strike on a regime tank near Kafr Shams:
Rebels fighting in Kafr Shams:
