Syria bombardment of rebel enclave kills 18 civilians, monitor says

19 February 2018, 4:28 pm Edit

Heavy Syrian regime bombardment of rebel-held Eastern Ghouta kills at least 18 civilians today, a monitor says, as government forces appeared to prepare for a ground assault.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says air strikes battered the town of Hammuriyeh in Eastern Ghouta, leaving nine civilians dead.

Another nine, including a woman, were killed in air raids, artillery fire, and rockets that hit elsewhere in the enclave.

“The regime is bombing Eastern Ghouta to pave the way for a ground offensive,” says Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.

Held by rebels since 2012, Eastern Ghouta is now the last opposition-controlled pocket around Damascus.

— AFP