BEIRUT — Syrian government forces divide the Eastern Ghouta enclave outside Damascus into two, pro-government media says Sunday, dealing a major setback to rebels and threatening to exacerbate an already dire humanitarian situation at the doors of the country’s capital.
A military media outlet linked to the Syrian army and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah says pro-government forces broke through rebel lines to establish a corridor through the besieged eastern Ghouta region, after capturing the town of Mudeira.
The advance cuts off the towns of Douma and Harasta from the rest of the enclave, according to the Central Military Media outlet. Douma is Eastern Ghouta’s largest settlement.
Government jets pound Harasta on Sunday evening, says Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV station, which is broadcasting live from a lookout over the town.
Hezbollah is one of several regional Shiite groups organized by Iran to support government forces and put down the rebellion sparked by the violent crackdown on anti-government demonstrations in 2011.
The government’s advance follows 22 days of intensive ground and air assaults on rebels and civilians trapped inside Eastern Ghouta, which have killed over 1,100 people according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.
— AP
Smoke billows following a Syrian government bombardment on the rebel-controlled area of Saqba, in the besieged Eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of the capital Damascus, on March 11, 2018.(AFP Photo/Mohammed Eyad)
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