The factions’ attack continue violently in Vehicle Department and near Harasta city with the arrival of reinforcement to the factions and the death toll rises to at least 100

Rif Dimashq province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights:: the regime forces continue their artillery and missile shelling targeting the Eastern Ghouta of Damascus, where they fired missiles believed to be ground-to-ground and artillery shells on areas in Harasta city and other areas in its vicinity, in conjunction with violent battles between the regime forces and their allied militiamen against fighters of Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham and Ahrar Islamic Movement and Al-Rahman Corps in the vicinity of Vehicle Department and near the governorate building near Harasta city, where the factions seek to expand their control in the area and control the Vehicle Department  and the governorate building in order to further secure the Eastern Ghouta and Harasta and let the fighters become free for new operations against the regime forces. This control will allow the factions to open new fronts near the vicinity of the capital Damascus, amid information obtained by the SOHR about the arrival of reinforcement of the regime forces to the area to back up the operations against the violent attacks of the factions, in an attempt to begin rebel attack to restore what they have lost and break the siege of the Vehicle Department.

The SOHR monitored heavy targeting and violent battles between the regime forces backed by their allied militiamen against Tahrir al-Sham and Ahrar Al-Sham and Al-Rahman Corps in the fronts of the province building and Vehicle Department , while the explosions are still rocking the area resulting from heavy and ongoing shelling. The clashes and shelling left more human losses of civilians and fighters and members of the regime forces, where it rose to at least 30, the number of the regime forces and their allied militiamen who took part in these clashes since the beginning of the attack on the 29th of December 2017 including a brigadier and other officers, while it  rose to 34, the number of fighters of the factions including fighter of Gulf nationality who blew himself up in a booby trapped vehicle, also tens of both parties were injured with varying severity including officers of the regime forces, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored in the same period the death of 36 citizens including 9 children and 3 citizen women, who were killed due to the aerial, artillery and rocket shelling on cities and town in the Eastern Ghouta since the day before yesterday, and the casualties are 22 citizens including 6 children, 2 citizen women and a male nurse, they were killed in raids by the warplanes on areas in Harasta city controlled by the Islamic movement of Ahrar Al-Sham and raids on Madyara town, and 14 citizens including 3 children and a citizen woman were killed by artillery and rocket shelling targeted areas in Harasta and Hamuriya cities as well as the towns of Kafr Batna, Mesraba, Al-Nashabiyah and Otaya, and the aerial and artillery shelling left tens of casualties and wounded included a large number of children and citizen women, and the number of casualties may increase because of the presence of serious injuries.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights yesterday that it monitored the factions being enable to besiege the Vehicle Department, amid continuous violent attack in an attempt by Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, Ahrar al-Sham and Rahman Corps to achieve more advancement, following the advancement of Rahman Corps in Arbin area, while both of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham and Ahrar al-Sham have advanced in al-Ajami area and surrounded the regime forces inside the Vehicle Department, after closing by firearm the remaining distance between the advancement of both parties; to prevent the regime forces from entering supplies or withdrawing of it.