Unidentified warplanes have carried out intense airstrikes on rebel-held residential suburbs in the Syrian capital Damascus, killing dozens of people including children, monitoring groups have claimed.
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According to Tasnim dispatches, the Syrian troops along with popular resistance forces struck a heavy blow to the so-called Jaish al-Islam (army of Islam) terrorists in the district of Marj al-Sultan and managed to seize control of their key strongholds after pushing them back from their positions. It has been held by rebels for three years.
According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the government forces were backed by fighters from the Lebanese Shiite militia Hizbollah.
“This situation is unacceptable”. The shelling came as the United Nations humanitarian chief, Stephen O’Brien, was visiting the Syrian capital to review humanitarian work and assess the impact on civilians of the intensified fighting and military operations.
Meanwhile, mortars fired by the rebels into government-held parts of Damascus killed three people and wounded 30 others, state media reported.
“This is a tragic reminder of the urgency of finding a political solution and security, a nationwide ceasefire”, he told a news conference.
Nusra Front leader Abu Mohammad al-Golani said in rare comments aired late Saturday that local truces between the Syrian government and rebels only benefit the government. The statement appeared to suggest Russian Federation was supplying the weapons, but the military could not be reached for clarification. This includes President Bashar al-Assad, groups that oppose his regime, the Islamic State itself and foreign powers that each have different interests.
The Free Syrian Army’s chief of staff has denied receiving Russian weapons.
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