Airstrikes wound 21 people and more than 90 rockets and shells end the calm in the Eastern Ghouta on the 8th day of shelling escalation on its cities and towns and the accompanying battles
Rif Dimashq Province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the regime forces re-escalated the shelling in the Eastern Ghouta after a state of calm prevailed the area since today Friday morning, the 5th of January 2018, which is the 8th day of the factions’ attack and escalation in the Eastern Ghouta, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the regime forces targeting Harasta city by more than 42 missiles believed to be ground-to-ground, in conjunction with launching more than 50 artillery and rocket shells on Harasta city and its vicinity, which caused material damage and more destruction in the infrastructure, no information about casualties, amid the flight of two warplanes –whose identity was not known whether they were Russians or if they belong to the regime–, one of which carried out two raids on areas Mesraba town which is controlled by Jaysh al-Islam, injuring 13 people at least, in conjunction with airstrikes targeted areas in Hamuriya and Madyara, and information about injuries as a result of the aerial bombardment, while warplanes bombed areas in Harasta city in conjunction with carrying out 3 raids on areas in Arbin city, which injured 8 citizens.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published today morning, Friday, that the the clashes of the Eastern Ghouta of Damascus completed their first week with resulted changed the map of distributing the influences inside the Eastern Ghouta, and the regime forces imposing a siege on the Eastern Ghouta for years, are now besieged inside the buildings of the Vehicle Department near Harasta city, which pushed the regime forces to mobilize and bring military reinforcements of the Republican Guard Forces and special forces of the fourth battalion, followed by violent attack to get the situation back as it was before the 29th of December 2017, which requires lifting the siege imposed on the Vehicle Department and restoring Al-Ajami area as well as all the positions and buildings which Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, the Islamic movement of Ahrar Al-Sham and Al-Rahman Corps advanced into during the last week, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored in the morning of the 8th day of the attack, a calm prevailing the Eastern Ghouta fronts except sporadic clashes, targeting and limited shelling on areas in it.
The clashes which finished their first week by a counter attack by the regime forces through which they advanced with their allied militiamen in the area of the Air Force Intelligence and the governorate building, and by intensive shelling lasted until after the midnight of Thursday – Friday, with intensive aerial and ground shelling, leaving more human losses which greatly rose the death toll, in which the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the death of tens of citizens and tens of fighters and members who were killed in shelling, clashes, targeting and ambushes, thus, the death toll has increased to 227 persons at least who were killed during a week of shelling, clashes and raids, they are 78 citizens including 18 children and 17 citizen women, have been killed since the 29th of December 2017 and until now, and the casualties are 53 citizens including 13 children, 14 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.
And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also documented the death of 77 fighters of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, the Islamic movement of Ahrar Al-Sham and Al-Rahman Corps in the fronts of the Vehicle Department, the governorate building and the vicinity of the Air Force Intelligence, including a Saudi fighter detonated himself using a booby trapped vehicle, in the first day of the attack which resulted in imposing a siege on the Vehicle Department, and the SOHR documented the death of 53 members at least of the regime forces and gunmen loyal to them, including 6 officers including 4 brigadiers, they were all killed in the shelling, clashes and exchange of targeting in the same areas, the SOHR also documented the fall of human losses in the ranks of the both parties in the front of Al-Marj area, where 2 fighters of Jaysh Al-Islam were killed, in shelling and clashes in Al-Marj area, during fighting against the regime forces and gunmen loyal to them which lost about 17 members at least, and the clashes in the Eastern Ghouta fronts resulted in the fall of tens of injuries in the ranks of the both parties.