Top Syrian rebel killed in airstrike near Damascus
Jaish al-Islam chief Zahran Allouch reportedly killed by Russian airstrike during a meeting to reconcile feuding groups
Opposition activists say an airstrike near the capital Damascus has killed top rebel commander Zahran Allouch.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said an airstrike hit an Islam Army meeting near the Damascus suburb of Otaya on Friday killing several officials including Allouch.
The Lebanese Al-Mayadeen TV said Allouch was killed during a meeting to reconcile two feuding militant factions near Damascus. The station said 13 airstrikes hit eastern Damascus on Friday.
Saudi-backed Allouch, head of the powerful Jaish al-Islam Syrian rebel group, was one of the most powerful rebel commanders and his group controls large parts of the Damascus suburbs.
His death comes a month before peace talks between the Syrian government and the opposition are to begin in Geneva.
Allouch’s death was confirmed on Twitter by the head of Syria’s opposition National Coalition.
The Times of Israel Community.