Damascus shelling exchange kills 10

Shelling by the Syrian regime on a rebel-held enclave on the outskirts of Damascus killed seven civilians, while retaliatory fire killed three people Tuesday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Six civilians, including two children, were killed by shelling on Saqba, in the Eastern Ghouta area that a rebel group controls but is besieged by government forces. Another child was killed in the nearby town of Douma, says Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based monitoring organisation.

A total of 18 people were also wounded in the besieged area, he says.

Shelling by the rebels on central Damascus later killed three people, including at least two civilians, and wounded at least 15, Rahman adds.

Up to 400,000 people are believed to live in Eastern Ghouta, which has been under government siege since 2013.

— AFP