Eastern Ghouta: Assad strikes in defiance of UN ceasefire

At least nine people were killed in eastern Ghouta yesterday when the Syrian regime resumed air strikes and ground assaults on the rebel-held enclave, hours after the UN Security Council voted to demand a ceasefire.

The air strikes and artillery shelling were lighter than they had been for some days, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Hundreds of people were killed last week.

Where is eastern Ghouta?

It’s a suburb of Damascus, a mixture of dense built-up areas and agriculture. Around 400,000 civilians live there. Bashar al-Assad’s regime has had the area under siege since 2013 – and it is now the last enclave in Syria still held by anti-government rebels.

Who is attacking?

Assad’s troops carried out air strikes, shelling and ground assaults last week – and began again yesterday. However, local residents insist that Russia is also carrying out air strikes, says The Guardian. It has been claimed government troops carried out a chemical attack yesterday.

How many were killed last week?

It is very hard to verify the figures – but the BBC says there is no doubt that “hundreds” died. NGO Medicins Sans Frontieres said 520 had been killed, and thousands injured, in six days.

What has the UN done?

The 15 nations of the UN Security Council voted unanimously on Saturday to demand a ceasefire for one month, to allow humanitarian deliveries and evacuation of wounded people. Minutes later, bombing raids were carried out by Assad’s regime, The Guardian says.

What is Russia doing?

Russia voted for the ceasefire on Saturday – after putting it off for three days by objecting to its wording. President Vladimir Putin was urged to put pressure on Assad to drop the attack by German and French leaders Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron in a three-way phone call on Sunday, the BBC reports.