Contents tagged with Eastern Ghouta

  • Syrian command claims complete control of Eastern Ghouta

    The Syrian military announced that it has taken complete control of Eastern Ghouta, SANA reports. Fighters from the Jaysh al-Islam armed group and their families reportedly left Douma, which was the final rebel-controlled city in Eastern Ghouta.

    Damascus said that it had begun sweeping the streets and squares of Douma for mines, in order to ensure the safe return of the civilian population to the city. 500 people in the Syrian city showed signs of poisoning with a chemical substance.

    A …

  • Human rights activists: Russia used napalm bombs during air strikes in Syria

    Human rights activists accuse the Russian air force of bombing the Syrian city of Arbin, killing 37 civilians, Deutsche Welle reports.

    According to a twitter post by the Syrian humanitarian organization White Helmets on Friday, March 23, napalm bombs were used during the attack. The majority of victims were women and children, the activists noted.

    The White Helmets have repeatedly reported in recent days on the bombings committed by Russian aircraft in the Idlib area.

    The Syrian Observatory …

  • Syrian opposition accuses Russia of conducting an air strike on a refugee camp

    On Tuesday, March 20th, the province of Idlib, which is part of the de-escalation zone in Syria, was bombed by Russian aircraft. The refugee camp in Khas was bombed, resulting in the death of 10 civilians and an additional 15 injured, the Anadolu news agency reported.

    A representative of the Syrian opposition, Abu Raed, told the agency that an air strike was carried out by a Russian Su-24 plane, which took off from the Khmeimim air base in Latakia.

    The head of the Syria Civil Defense (White …

  • Media: 61 people killed in Russian and Assad's air strikes in Eastern Ghouta

    At least sixty one people are dead and one hundred injured as a result of air strikes conducted by Russian planes and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s air force on the marketplace in the highly populated settlement of Kafr Batna, located in the besieged Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta, reports Turkish news agency Anadolu.

    According to representatives of the Civil Defense Administration (White Hats) in Eastern Ghouta, rescuers cannot reach the wounded nor collect the bodies of the dead in …

  • Russian and US military commanders discuss situation in Syria

    Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov discussed the situation surrounding Eastern Ghouta with US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford. According to the Russian Defense Ministry report cited by RBC, the phone call was initiated by Gerasimov.

    “Army General Valery Gerasimov and General Joseph Dunford agreed to continue bilateral contact,” the department added.

    On March 13, Gerasimov said that provocation involving the use of chemical weapons is being planned against the …

  • Syrian army blocks humanitarian medical assistance to Ghouta

    On Monday March 5 a humanitarian aid convoy arrived in the besieged region of Eastern Ghouta, two weeks after the offensive operation was resumed by the Assad government forces, Radio Liberty reports.

    The convoy included 46 trucks sent by the international Red Cross, the Syrian Red Crescent, and the UN.

    The Syrian army allowed the humanitarian convoy to offload food for 27,000 needy Syrians out of Ghouta’s total population of roughly 400,000. However, according to the people in charge of the …

  • Macron: Putin must convince Syrian government to respect ceasefire

    During a telephone conversation with Putin ,French President Emmanuel Macron called on his Russian counterpart to encourage Syria to adopt a UN resolution calling for a 30-day ceasefire “without any ambiguity”, reported Radio Liberty, citing a source in Macron’s office.

    The Elysee Palace reported that during the conversation, Macron “stressed that humanitarian workers should be able to reach all people who need help, without hindrance and without delay.”

    On March 5, the UN Office for …

  • Assad’s troops capture 25 percent of Eastern Ghouta

    Bashar Assad’s troops have penetrated deeply into the suburbs of the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta. As reported on March 4, the army retains control over a quarter of the region’s territory.

    A representative of the government army said that the troops managed to oust “terrorist groups” from settlements in the east and southeast of the region. If Assad's army advances just a few more kilometers, they will be able to divide Eastern Ghouta into two parts.

    According to Rami Abdel Rahman, head …

  • Assad’s troops attack Eastern Ghouta in defiance of armistice

    Despite the daily humanitarian breaks imposed by Russia, Syrian government troops are advancing deeper into the suburbs of Damascus in Eastern Ghouta. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the army of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has already captured several villages. 

    According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Syrian government may let a convoy carrying medical supplies and food for 180,000 people enter Duma, one of the districts of Eastern Ghouta, …