Nearly 70 civilians, including children, killed by state sponsored air strikes in Syria
Fresh regime strikes on a besieged rebel-held enclave near Damascus in Syria killed close to 70 civilians despite mounting Western pressure on Syrian president Bashar al-Assad
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Fresh regime strikes on a besieged rebel-held enclave near Damascus killed close to 70 civilians on Tuesday despite mounting Western pressure on Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. Reuters
The bloodshed comes a day after another 31 civilians were killed in Eastern Ghouta and as the United Nations pleaded for a truce in the seven-year-old war to allow for aid deliveries. Reuters
Eastern Ghouta and Idlib, a northern province where violence also flared this week, are both so-called de-escalation zones under a deal last year intended to pave the way towards an end to the conflict. Reuters
The death toll has risen from an initial report of 16 to around 70, including 18 children, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Reuters
While the Syrian government maintains it only targets militants, the United Nations has called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Syria for at least a month. Reuters
The latest casualties in Ghouta comes as Washington threatened military action over the reported use of chemical weapons. Reuters
Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said few rebels were among the dead because they rarely left their tunnels and had better protection from air strikes than civilians, estimated to number around 4,00,000 in Ghouta. Reuters
Several schools in Damascus announced they were suspending classes for the next few days due to the upsurge in violence. Reuters
The army and its allies have besieged Eastern Ghouta, a pocket of satellite towns and farms under the control of rebel factions, since 2013. Reuters