Syrian air force launched a deadly airstrike on the rebel-held city of Douma in the suburb of Damascus, killing and wounding dozens of civilians, activists reported on Sunday.
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The Britain-based Observatory also reported that six people were killed in a barrage of shells fired by rebels in the center of Damascus and its suburbs. The shelling came as the United Nations humanitarian chief, Stephen O’Brien, was visiting the Syrian capital to review humanitarian work and assess the effect on civilians of the intensified fighting and military operations.
In addition, several thermographic and surveillance cameras set in several areas in Marj al-Sultan to track the movements of the Syrian Army forces were seized.
He added that should government forces maintain control of the airport it would allow for an expansion of air strikes against rebels in Eastern Ghouta, though it was likely there would be a counter-attack.
Dozens of civilians were killed in a series of air and missile strikes on a school district and rebel-held areas in Syria’s Damascus suburbs, a group monitoring the Syrian war said.
The group took part in opposition talks in Saudi Arabia last week, though their charismatic leader Zahran Alloush was unable to attend due to the bombardment on Eastern Ghouta.
Syria has been entangled in civil war since March 2011.
“This is a tragic reminder of the urgency of finding a political solution and security, a nationwide ceasefire”, he told a news conference. Around 8 million others have been displaced internally. “A blot on our collective conscience”, he said.
“This situation is unacceptable”, he said.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the local Southern Front division of the Free Syrian Army rebel group claimed the death toll was closer to 60 in Douma alone.
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Gen. Valery Gerasimov was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying that Russia is supporting the FSA with airstrikes and is also helping “with weapons, ammunition and material”.
