Intensive shelling targets Harasta city with the continuation of the violent fighting near it and more human losses raise the number of those who have been killed since the start of the attack to 110 persons

Rif Dimashq Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the regime forces renewed their rocket shelling this morning and after the midnight of Monday – Tuesday, on areas in the Eastern Ghouta, in which they targeted this morning areas in Arbin and Douma cities by more than 10 shells, which killed a man and wounded 7 others in Douma, while it rose to at least 162 the number of shells fired by the regime forces since yesterday until this morning targeting Harasta city and its vicinity, in conjunction with increasing the number of missiles believed to be ground-to-ground which were fired by the regime forces targeting the same areas to about 49 missiles, while a male nurse died affected by the injury he had due to rocket shelling by the regime forces on areas in Arbin city in the Eastern Ghouta yesterday, thus, the death toll has increased to 39 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 Saturday the 30th of December 2017 and until now, 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 16 citizens including 3 children and a citizen woman were killed by artillery and rocket shelling targeted areas in 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 clashes are continuing between the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them against Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, the Islamic movement of Ahrar Al-Sham and Al-Rahman Corps, in areas in the vicinity of the Vehicle Department and near the governorate building in the Eastern Ghouta, amid intensive targeting and a new attempt by the factions to achieve further advancement in the area, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published yesterday that 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, also the clashes and shelling left more human losses of civilians, fighters and members of the regime forces, where it rose to at least 33, the number of the regime forces and their allied militiamen who were killed in these clashes since the beginning of the attack on the 29th of December 2017 including 4 officers at least including 2 brigadiers, while it rose to 38, 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.