The intensive ground shelling compensates the absence of the warplanes from the skies of the Eastern Ghouta and kills more citizens raising the number of casualties and wounded to about 2100 persons

Rif Dimashq Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the Eastern Ghouta of Damascus is witnessing absence of the warplanes and helicopters from its skies this morning, as a result of the bad weather in the area, in conjunction with heavy rocket shelling by the regime forces on the Eastern Ghouta since morning, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored shelling by the regime forces by more than 207 missiles targeting areas in Douma city, and by about 100 rocket shells which targeted places in Saqba city and Saqba and Jisrayn towns, and by 30 shells on areas in Arbin city, where the shelling resulted in a massacre left 13 casualties at least including 3 children and 3 citizen women, as well as a large number of injuries, while the regime forces targeted after the midnight of Wednesday – Thursday, areas in Harasta city by 12 missiles, which caused a medical point of the Red Crescent to be out of service, and the Syrian Observatory published yesterday after the midnight, that warplanes believed to be Russian, raided areas in Douma city in the Eastern Ghouta of Damascus, which injured more than 32 persons with varying severity.

And with the death of more citizens, it rose to 335 including 79 children and 50 women, the number of martyrs killed by the aerial and ground shelling since Sunday evening the 18th of February 2018, and the casualties are: 13 casualties at least including 3 children and 3 citizen women who were killed today, Thursday, in the shelling on the Eastern Ghouta, 50 citizens including 8 children and 5 women, were killed on Wednesday in bombardment by helicopters by explosive barrels on Kafr Batna town and airstrikes on Jesrin town, 128 citizens including 29 children and 16 women were killed on Tuesday, in the shelling on the areas of Nashabiyah, Otaya, Arbin, Zamalka Mesraba, Hamuriya, and Ash’ari, 127 citizens including 34 children and 23 women were killed on Monday, in the aerial and ground bombardment on Hamuriya, Beit Sawa and Saqba, Douma , Mesraba, Otaya, Nashabiyah, Zamalka, Aftries, KafrBatna, Al-Shifonyyah and Jesrin, 17 citizens including 5 children and 3 citizen women were killed on the evening of Sunday, in aerial, missile and artillery bombardments on Saqba, Mesraba, Otaya and Ashari area.

Also the renewed bombardment has injured about 1745 civilians, while there are tens of missing people under the rubbles caused by the rocket, artillery and aerial shelling on the cities and town in the Eastern Ghouta, which may increase the death toll, in addition to the presence of a large number of injuries, some of them have seriously wounded, amid inability of the medical staff to relieve all medical cases, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored a decrease in the chances for the wounded to receive treatment, or even rescue the critical cases, due to the fierce and savage shelling, which cause 3 medical points to be out of service in Douma city and Madyara city by barrel bombs of helicopters, and in Jesrin by warplanes’ bombardment, raising to 9, the number of hospitals and medical points that went out of service until now, which are –in addition to the aforementioned medical points- : a medical point in Beit Sawa, Dar Al-Shifaa Hospital in Hamuriya, a medical point in Kafr Batna, Arbin Surgical Hospital in Arbin city, and 2 other hospitals in Saqba, and got them all out of service, to decrease the ability of medical capacity even more, and crowd the places with the wounded who flock as a result of intensive and continuous shelling by the regime forces, led by the Brigadier Suhail Al-Hassan, which paves the way for a wide military operation in the Eastern Ghouta, through which the regime forces aim to regain the control of it.