Shelling by more than 100 raids, shells and missiles targets the Eastern Ghouta since morning and raises the death toll to 255 persons at least during 10 days of escalation

Rif Dimashq Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the warplanes carried out a new series of raids on the Eastern Ghouta of Damascus, as they targeted this morning areas in Harasta city and its outskirts by 20 raids at least, in conjunction with intensive rocket shelling, in which the regime forces fired 34 missiles at least believed to be ground-to-ground on areas in Harasta city and its outskirts, in conjunction with shelling by about 50 artillery and rocket shells, and the warplanes carried out 2 raids targeting areas in Arbin city which killed a child and injured 11 others with varying severity, and the number of casualties may increase because of the presence of serious injuries, thus, the death toll has increased to 97 citizens including 24 children and 21 citizen women, who have been killed since the 29th of December 2017 and until now, and the casualties are 72 citizens including 19 children, 18 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 25 citizens including 5 children and 3 citizen women and 2 male nurses were killed by artillery and rocket shelling targeted areas in Beit Sawa town, the cities of Harasta, Hamuriya, Douma and Arbin 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.

In the same context, the ongoing aerial and rocket shelling on the area is accompanied by the continuation of the violent clashes, in areas in the vicinity of the Vehicle Department and near the governorate building, between the regime forces and gunmen loyal to them against Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, the Islamic movement of Ahrar Al-Sham and Al-Rahman Corps, accompanied by exchange of targeting and shelling, and information about more casualties in the ranks of the both parties, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published yesterday that the clashes and exchange of targeting between both parties during the day time, resulted in the death of a brigadier officer and 3 other members, rising to at least 57 members of the regime forces and their allied militiamen, including 7 officers at least including 5 brigadiers, who were killed in shelling and clashes in the Eastern Ghouta since the 29th of December 2017, while it rose to at least 80, the number of fighters of Hayaat Tahrir al-Sham, Ahrar Al-Sham Islamic Movement, Al-Rahman Corps, who were killed in the fronts of Vehicle Department, Province Building, and Air Intelligence vicinity, including fighter of Saudi nationality who blew himself up in a booby trapped vehicle on the first day of the attack, which led to the siege of the Vehicle Department, and the SOHR documented human losses of both parties on the front of Al-Marj area where 2 fighters of Jaysh Al-Islam were killed in shelling and clashes in Al-Marj area, during the fight against the regime forces and their allied militiamen, the same clashes where 17 members of the regime forces were killed, also tens of both parties were injured.