When Daniel Essa fled Syria in 2014, he faced an uncertain future as a refugee in France, where he knew few people and less French. Now he is selling his own brand of luxury sneakers to the wealthy of Paris and Hollywood.

The 30-year-old studied fashion in Damascus but abandoned hopes of a career in his homeland and fled the war to settle in Lille, near the Belgian border.

His simple but chic leather sneakers with a strip of stretchy fabric rather than laces sell for an average price of 330 euros ($390).

Actress Whoopi Goldberg placed an order after spotting a prototype pair on a friend’s feet at a fashion show in the United States and asked who the designer was, Essa told Reuters from a boutique that stocks 28 style of his shoes.

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His first shop opens in the next two weeks. The shoes are already on sale in Beverly Hills, Paris and Ajaccio, Corsica.

Taught to sew by his grandmother, Essa had to persuade his parents that fashion was not just something for girls.

"The rest of my family was against it because it wasn't a man's job, it was a woman's job. So it was our little secret between my grandmother and me, doing it behind my family's back," he said.

It was a tough decision to leave Damascus, which, unlike his hometown of Homs, had escaped the worst of the fighting, especially as Essa had already set up a workshop and shop in the capital.

"We saw that the war had started to reach Damascus. There were attacks almost every day and I saw my friends and many families starting to leave one after the other - of course, the lucky ones, those who could afford to go." He has not seen his family since he fled.

Each pair of Daniel Essa shoes is etched with a word under the tongue: “Freedom”, “Kisses”, or “Peace”.

“Everybody talks about world peace, but I really hope that one day we will have peace in our world," Essa said.

<img alt="2018-06-09T085552Z_2_LYNXNPEE561PM_RTROPTP_4_FRANCE-REFUGEE-SNEAKERS.JPG" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="289" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/2018-06-09T085552Z_2_LYNXNPEE561PM_RTROPTP_4_FRANCE-REFUGEE-SNEAKERS.JPG" width="396" />

The 30-year-old studied fashion in Damascus but abandoned hopes of a career in his homeland and fled the war to settle in Lille, near the Belgian border

When Daniel Essa fled Syria in 2014, he faced an uncertain future as a refugee in France, where he knew few people and less French. Now he is selling his own brand of luxury sneakers to the wealthy of Paris and Hollywood. The 30-year-old studied fashion in Damascus but abandoned hopes of a career in his homeland and fled the war to settle in Lille, near the Belgian border. His simple but chic leather sneakers with a strip of stretchy fabric rather than laces sell for an average price of 330 euros ($390). Actress Whoopi Goldberg placed an order after spotting a prototype pair on a friend’s feet at a fashion show in the United States and asked who the designer was, Essa told Reuters from a boutique that stocks 28 style of his shoes. His first shop opens in the next two weeks. The shoes are already on sale in Beverly Hills, Paris and Ajaccio, Corsica. Taught to sew by his grandmother, Essa had to persuade his parents that fashion was not just something for girls. "The rest of my family was against it because it wasn't a man's job, it was a woman's job. So it was our little secret between my grandmother and me, doing it behind my family's back," he said. It was a tough decision to leave Damascus, which, unlike his hometown of Homs, had escaped the worst of the fighting, especially as Essa had already set up a workshop and shop in the capital. "We saw that the war had started to reach Damascus. There were attacks almost every day and I saw my friends and many families starting to leave one after the other - of course, the lucky ones, those who could afford to go." He has not seen his family since he fled. Each pair of Daniel Essa shoes is etched with a word under the tongue: “Freedom”, “Kisses”, or “Peace”. “Everybody talks about world peace, but I really hope that one day we will have peace in our world," Essa said.

Syrian refugee launches luxury sneaker brand in France

The Egyptian foreign ministry said on Saturday its embassy in Syria had been able to get seven Egyptians out of shelters in areas now controlled by the Syrian government.

The embassy had cooperated with the Syrian authorities to secure their release from camps where thousands of civilians fleeing the Eastern Ghouta Damascus suburb were now staying.

One citizen was able to leave one of the shelters on Saturday, while another Egyptian, his mother, his sister, and his Syrian wife and children were able to leave another shelter the same day.

The ministry said preparations were underway to fly them home.

The embassy was able to rescue another Egyptian family "from the area of military operations in Ghouta a few weeks ago," the ministry said.

Syria's regime lost swathes of territory to rebels early in the uprising but has since made a comeback and recaptured large parts of the country.

It used military pressure and population transfers to flush fighters and civilians out of territory around Damascus, most notably the Eastern Ghouta suburb.

The assault on Eastern Ghouta has a sparked a mass exodus from the shrinking rebel enclave, with 50,000 people reaching shelters in regime-controlled areas in the past week, according to the United Nations.

The UN humanitarian coordinator in Syria in March condemned the "tragic" living conditions of the displaced massed in the makeshift shelters.

Prior to the assault, Ghouta's 400,000 residents had suffered five years of crippling regime siege that made food and medicine nearly impossible to access or afford.&nbsp

Syria's conflict broke out in March 2011 with protests against the government but has since evolved into a civil war that has killed more than 350,000 people and triggered a staggering humanitarian crisis.

The embassy had cooperated with the Syrian authorities to secure their release from camps where thousands of civilians fleeing the Eastern Ghouta Damascus suburb were now staying

The Egyptian foreign ministry said on Saturday its embassy in Syria had been able to get seven Egyptians out of shelters in areas now controlled by the Syrian government. The embassy had cooperated with the Syrian authorities to secure their release from camps where thousands of civilians fleeing the Eastern Ghouta Damascus suburb were now staying. One citizen was able to leave one of the shelters on Saturday, while another Egyptian, his mother, his sister, and his Syrian wife and children were able to leave another shelter the same day. The ministry said preparations were underway to fly them home. The embassy was able to rescue another Egyptian family "from the area of military operations in Ghouta a few weeks ago," the ministry said. Syria's regime lost swathes of territory to rebels early in the uprising but has since made a comeback and recaptured large parts of the country. It used military pressure and population transfers to flush fighters and civilians out of territory around Damascus, most notably the Eastern Ghouta suburb. The assault on Eastern Ghouta has a sparked a mass exodus from the shrinking rebel enclave, with 50,000 people reaching shelters in regime-controlled areas in the past week, according to the United Nations. The UN humanitarian coordinator in Syria in March condemned the "tragic" living conditions of the displaced massed in the makeshift shelters. Prior to the assault, Ghouta's 400,000 residents had suffered five years of crippling regime siege that made food and medicine nearly impossible to access or afford. Syria's conflict broke out in March 2011 with protests against the government but has since evolved into a civil war that has killed more than 350,000 people and triggered a staggering humanitarian crisis.

Cairo gets 7 Egyptians out of Syria-controlled shelters

Syria's army said Monday it was in full control of the capital Damascus and its outskirts after ousting the Islamic State group, marking a major milestone in the seven-year war.

"The Syrian army announces today that Damascus, its outskirts and surrounding towns are completely secure," it said in a statement carried on official media.

The development came after troops had captured a key southern portion of Damascus from IS, the statement said, including the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmuk and the adjacent district of Hajar al-Aswad.

"The wheel of our progress on the battlefield will not stop until all Syrian land is purified," it added.

Syria's war erupted in 2011 with protests against President Bashar al-Assad, including in the capital.

The following year, the government began losing control of parts of Damascus and placed a crippling siege around Yarmuk, which lies in the capital's south.

The army's announcement came hours after a tenuous evacuation deal saw hundreds of IS fighters and their relatives quit Yarmuk, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The government has denied reaching a deal with IS. It said a brief ceasefire had allowed one convoy of women and children to leave the pocket in southern Damascus.

Since last year, Syria's government has cleared swathes of territory around Damascus from its armed opponents through a blend of military pressure and evacuation deals.

Syria's army said Monday it was in full control of the capital Damascus and its outskirts after ousting the Islamic State group, marking a major milestone in the seven-year war

Syria's army said Monday it was in full control of the capital Damascus and its outskirts after ousting the Islamic State group, marking a major milestone in the seven-year war. "The Syrian army announces today that Damascus, its outskirts and surrounding towns are completely secure," it said in a statement carried on official media. The development came after troops had captured a key southern portion of Damascus from IS, the statement said, including the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmuk and the adjacent district of Hajar al-Aswad. "The wheel of our progress on the battlefield will not stop until all Syrian land is purified," it added. Syria's war erupted in 2011 with protests against President Bashar al-Assad, including in the capital. The following year, the government began losing control of parts of Damascus and placed a crippling siege around Yarmuk, which lies in the capital's south. The army's announcement came hours after a tenuous evacuation deal saw hundreds of IS fighters and their relatives quit Yarmuk, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The government has denied reaching a deal with IS. It said a brief ceasefire had allowed one convoy of women and children to leave the pocket in southern Damascus. Since last year, Syria's government has cleared swathes of territory around Damascus from its armed opponents through a blend of military pressure and evacuation deals.

Syria says capital 'completely secure', IS ousted

A second batch of fighters from the Islamic State jihadist group left their final Damascus stronghold overnight, a monitor said Monday, bringing the Syrian regime closer to a major milestone.

The government has so far not confirmed any deal with IS, but a military source quoted by state media said civilians had been evacuated on Sunday night during a brief ceasefire.

"A second batch of elements from the Islamic State organisation left after midnight," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

"They are heading to a pocket in the desert still under the control of the extremist organisation," the Britain-based monitoring group said.

The first group of IS fighters was transferred by bus out of southern Damascus on Sunday, the monitor said.

Government and allied forces started an operation last month to flush out jihadists and other groups from a cluster of neighbourhoods in southern Damascus.

They include Yarmuk, which was the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Syria and has been a besieged IS stronghold since 2015, as well as the adjacent neighbourhoods of Tadamun and Hajar al-Aswad.

The evacuation of those areas would bring the entire capital and its surroundings under regime control for the first time since 2012.

State media has thus far fiercely denied reaching a deal with IS, but state news agency SANA reported for the first time Monday that some evacuations had taken place.

Citing a military source, it said women and children had been bussed out during a ceasefire that would remain in place until noon (0900 GMT) on Monday, but that the government would subsequently resume operations.

President Bashar al-Assad has used a combination of military pressure and evacuation deals in recent months to recapture territory around the capital from his armed opponents.

The assault against the jihadist force in southern Damascus has left more than 250 pro-regime forces, 233 jihadists and more than 60 civilians dead, according to the Britain-based Observatory.

The monitor's head Rami Abdel Rahman said the evacuation operation took place "at night and in secret".

"The Syrian government does not admit to negotiating with IS and wants to make sure the convoy is not targeted by the coalition led by Washington," he added.&nbsp

Last year, IS fighters and relatives were evacuated from an area on the Lebanese-Syrian border under a deal between IS on one side and the regime and the powerful Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah on the other.&nbsp

The US-led coalition bombing IS in Syria since 2014 sent planes to monitor the convoy, picking off dozens of jihadists along the way.&nbsp

The government has so far not confirmed any deal with IS, but a military source quoted by state media said civilians had been evacuated on Sunday night during a brief ceasefire

A second batch of fighters from the Islamic State jihadist group left their final Damascus stronghold overnight, a monitor said Monday, bringing the Syrian regime closer to a major milestone. The government has so far not confirmed any deal with IS, but a military source quoted by state media said civilians had been evacuated on Sunday night during a brief ceasefire. "A second batch of elements from the Islamic State organisation left after midnight," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "They are heading to a pocket in the desert still under the control of the extremist organisation," the Britain-based monitoring group said. The first group of IS fighters was transferred by bus out of southern Damascus on Sunday, the monitor said. Government and allied forces started an operation last month to flush out jihadists and other groups from a cluster of neighbourhoods in southern Damascus. They include Yarmuk, which was the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Syria and has been a besieged IS stronghold since 2015, as well as the adjacent neighbourhoods of Tadamun and Hajar al-Aswad. The evacuation of those areas would bring the entire capital and its surroundings under regime control for the first time since 2012. State media has thus far fiercely denied reaching a deal with IS, but state news agency SANA reported for the first time Monday that some evacuations had taken place. Citing a military source, it said women and children had been bussed out during a ceasefire that would remain in place until noon (0900 GMT) on Monday, but that the government would subsequently resume operations. President Bashar al-Assad has used a combination of military pressure and evacuation deals in recent months to recapture territory around the capital from his armed opponents. The assault against the jihadist force in southern Damascus has left more than 250 pro-regime forces, 233 jihadists and more than 60 civilians dead, according to the Britain-based Observatory. The monitor's head Rami Abdel Rahman said the evacuation operation took place "at night and in secret". "The Syrian government does not admit to negotiating with IS and wants to make sure the convoy is not targeted by the coalition led by Washington," he added. Last year, IS fighters and relatives were evacuated from an area on the Lebanese-Syrian border under a deal between IS on one side and the regime and the powerful Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah on the other. The US-led coalition bombing IS in Syria since 2014 sent planes to monitor the convoy, picking off dozens of jihadists along the way.

More Islamic State fighters leave Damascus district: Monitor

A war monitor said buses evacuated Islamic State fighters from an enclave south of Damascus on Sunday in a withdrawal deal, though state media denied the report and said the Syrian army was fighting to finish off the insurgents.

The recovery of the enclave south of Damascus will mark another milestone in President Bashar al-Assa's war effort, crushing the last besieged rebel enclave in western Syria.

Swathes of territory at the borders with Iraq, Turkey and Jordan, however, remain outside state control.

Syrian government forces and their allies have been battling to recover the enclave south of Damascus since defeating rebels in eastern Ghouta, also near the capital, in April.

The area is centred around the al-Hajar al-Aswad district and the adjoining Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk.

In a live broadcast, a reporter with Syrian state TV said the Syrian army operations in the Hajar al-Aswad area were nearing their end and insurgent lines were collapsing as columns of smoke rose from the area behind him.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights earlier said buses had entered the enclave after midnight to take out fighters and their families. They had left towards the Syrian Badia, a sparsely populated expanse of territory east of the capital that extends to the border with Jordan and Iraq, it said.&nbsp

Islamic State militants had torched their offices in the Yarmouk enclave, the Observatory said.

Negotiated withdrawals have been a common feature of the Syrian war in recent years as the government, aided by the Russian military and Iran-backed forces, has steadily clawed back territory.

The rebels have mostly been given safe passage to northwestern Syria. In the last two months alone, the United Nations says 110,000 people have been evacuated to northwestern Syria and rebel-held areas north of Aleppo.

The opposition has called it a policy of forced displacement amounting to demographic change to drive out Assad's opponents. The Syrian government has said nobody is forced to leave and those who stay must accept state rule.

While Assad has vowed to win back "every inch" of Syria, the map of the conflict suggests a more complicated time ahead from now on.&nbsp

The US&nbspmilitary is in much of the east and northeast, which is controlled by Kurdish groups that want autonomy from Damascus. It has used force to defend the territory from pro-Assad forces.

Turkey has sent forces into the northwest to counter those same Kurdish groups, carving out a buffer zone where anti-Assad rebels have regrouped.

In the southwest, where rebels hold territory at the Israeli and Jordanian border, Assad faces the risk of conflict with Israel, which wants his Iranian-backed allies kept well away from the frontier and has mounted air strikes in Syria.&nbsp

The recovery of the enclave south of Damascus will mark another milestone in President Bashar al-Assad's war effort, crushing the last besieged rebel enclave in western Syria

A war monitor said buses evacuated Islamic State fighters from an enclave south of Damascus on Sunday in a withdrawal deal, though state media denied the report and said the Syrian army was fighting to finish off the insurgents. The recovery of the enclave south of Damascus will mark another milestone in President Bashar al-Assa's war effort, crushing the last besieged rebel enclave in western Syria. Swathes of territory at the borders with Iraq, Turkey and Jordan, however, remain outside state control. Syrian government forces and their allies have been battling to recover the enclave south of Damascus since defeating rebels in eastern Ghouta, also near the capital, in April. The area is centred around the al-Hajar al-Aswad district and the adjoining Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk. In a live broadcast, a reporter with Syrian state TV said the Syrian army operations in the Hajar al-Aswad area were nearing their end and insurgent lines were collapsing as columns of smoke rose from the area behind him. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights earlier said buses had entered the enclave after midnight to take out fighters and their families. They had left towards the Syrian Badia, a sparsely populated expanse of territory east of the capital that extends to the border with Jordan and Iraq, it said. Islamic State militants had torched their offices in the Yarmouk enclave, the Observatory said. Negotiated withdrawals have been a common feature of the Syrian war in recent years as the government, aided by the Russian military and Iran-backed forces, has steadily clawed back territory. The rebels have mostly been given safe passage to northwestern Syria. In the last two months alone, the United Nations says 110,000 people have been evacuated to northwestern Syria and rebel-held areas north of Aleppo. The opposition has called it a policy of forced displacement amounting to demographic change to drive out Assad's opponents. The Syrian government has said nobody is forced to leave and those who stay must accept state rule. While Assad has vowed to win back "every inch" of Syria, the map of the conflict suggests a more complicated time ahead from now on. The US&nbspmilitary is in much of the east and northeast, which is controlled by Kurdish groups that want autonomy from Damascus. It has used force to defend the territory from pro-Assad forces. Turkey has sent forces into the northwest to counter those same Kurdish groups, carving out a buffer zone where anti-Assad rebels have regrouped. In the southwest, where rebels hold territory at the Israeli and Jordanian border, Assad faces the risk of conflict with Israel, which wants his Iranian-backed allies kept well away from the frontier and has mounted air strikes in Syria.

Syrian monitor says insurgents quit enclave, state media denies it

Israel today launched missiles on Syria early on Thursday, the Israeli Army said.

Syria's news agency SANA said its anti-aircraft air defence intercepted Israeli missiles.

SANA news agency said it shot down Israeli missiles "one after the other".

SANA news agency said Israeli war planes were targeting Syrian territories with rockets early on Thursday.

Israeli war planes were shooting the rockets from inside the Occupied Palestinian territories and targeting the City of Baath in Quneitra province, it added.

Heavy explosions were heard in the Syrian capital Damascus,&nbsp;newswire AFP reported.

"The Syrian air defences are confronting a new wave of Israeli aggression rockets and downing them one after the other," state news agency SANA reported.

Syrian state television was broadcasting footage of its air defences firing at incoming rockets and playing patriotic songs, Reuters reported.

Israel's military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said Israel had retaliated for an attack on its outposts in the strategic Golan Heights plateau.

Syria's news agency SANA said its anti-aircraft air defence intercepted Israeli missiles.

Israel today launched missiles on Syria early on Thursday, the Israeli Army said. Syria's news agency SANA said its anti-aircraft air defence intercepted Israeli missiles. SANA news agency said it shot down Israeli missiles "one after the other". SANA news agency said Israeli war planes were targeting Syrian territories with rockets early on Thursday. Israeli war planes were shooting the rockets from inside the Occupied Palestinian territories and targeting the City of Baath in Quneitra province, it added. Heavy explosions were heard in the Syrian capital Damascus, newswire AFP reported. "The Syrian air defences are confronting a new wave of Israeli aggression rockets and downing them one after the other," state news agency SANA reported. Syrian state television was broadcasting footage of its air defences firing at incoming rockets and playing patriotic songs, Reuters reported. Israel's military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said Israel had retaliated for an attack on its outposts in the strategic Golan Heights plateau.

Israel fires missiles at Syria, explosions heard in Damascus

Syrian troops on Sunday tightened the noose around a major Palestinian refugee camp held by Islamic State militants in southern Damascus where hundreds of civilians face an uncertain future, state media, witnesses and residents said.

Nearly two weeks into a campaign to capture the last area near the capital outside government control that has left many parts of the once teeming Yarmouk camp in ruins, state media announced al Qadm neighbourhood next to the camp was retaken.

Opposition sources said the army was now engaged in fierce fighting with militants on the outskirts of Yarmouk camp where an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 militants are now encircled.

The militants who are besieged in an ever shrinking area have repelled successive raids to enter their heavily defended stronghold.

The Yarmouk campaign is part of a wider-Russian backed offensive to regain the last pocket in opposition hands around the capital after retaking eastern Ghouta this month.

It has shown no sign of letting up since Western countries launched air strikes on April 14 to punish the government for a suspected poison gas attack.

The fate of hundreds of Palestinians, mostly sick and elderly women and children still in the camp that was once the largest in Syria is uncertain. UNRWA, the UN body responsible for Palestinian refugees has called on warring parties to spare civilians.

"There are some families that have been buried under the rubble and no one is able to retrieve their bodies," said Abu Osama, a resident who fled the camp two days ago to nearby Yalda, joining thousands of others seeking relative safety there since the start of the latest offensive.

"The regime is just burning and destroying ... and then trying to advance on several fronts," Rami al Sayed, a former resident of Yarmouk who is now on its outskirts, said.

The camp, which has been under siege by the army since rebels captured it in 2012, was home to some 160,000 Palestinians before the Syrian conflict began in 2011, refugees from the 1948 Arab-Israeli war and their descendents.

Amaq, a news agency affiliated to Islamic State, said its fighters had repelled the latest attacks on their positions in al Qadam and Hay al Tadamon, killing at least 17 army fighters killed in sniper attacks.

The ultra-hardline Sunni militants also pushed overnight into some positions in the southern Damascus pocket where mainly mainstream rebels operating under the umbrella of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) are in control, opposition sources said. 
 
A deal was reached overnight under Russian auspices to evacuate those FSA rebels who are based in the towns of Yalda, Babila and Beit Sahem that adjoin Islamic State-held areas to opposition held areas in northern Syria, a rebel source said confirming leaks in state media.

Those rebels who have in the past fought both the militants and the Syrian army have also been targeted by the army in an attempt to force them to capitulate.

Nearly two weeks into a campaign to capture the last area near the capital outside government control that has left many parts of the once teeming Yarmouk camp in ruins, state media announced al Qadm neighbourhood next to the camp was retaken

Syrian troops on Sunday tightened the noose around a major Palestinian refugee camp held by Islamic State militants in southern Damascus where hundreds of civilians face an uncertain future, state media, witnesses and residents said. Nearly two weeks into a campaign to capture the last area near the capital outside government control that has left many parts of the once teeming Yarmouk camp in ruins, state media announced al Qadm neighbourhood next to the camp was retaken. Opposition sources said the army was now engaged in fierce fighting with militants on the outskirts of Yarmouk camp where an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 militants are now encircled. The militants who are besieged in an ever shrinking area have repelled successive raids to enter their heavily defended stronghold. The Yarmouk campaign is part of a wider-Russian backed offensive to regain the last pocket in opposition hands around the capital after retaking eastern Ghouta this month. It has shown no sign of letting up since Western countries launched air strikes on April 14 to punish the government for a suspected poison gas attack. The fate of hundreds of Palestinians, mostly sick and elderly women and children still in the camp that was once the largest in Syria is uncertain. UNRWA, the UN body responsible for Palestinian refugees has called on warring parties to spare civilians. "There are some families that have been buried under the rubble and no one is able to retrieve their bodies," said Abu Osama, a resident who fled the camp two days ago to nearby Yalda, joining thousands of others seeking relative safety there since the start of the latest offensive. "The regime is just burning and destroying ... and then trying to advance on several fronts," Rami al Sayed, a former resident of Yarmouk who is now on its outskirts, said. The camp, which has been under siege by the army since rebels captured it in 2012, was home to some 160,000 Palestinians before the Syrian conflict began in 2011, refugees from the 1948 Arab-Israeli war and their descendents. Amaq, a news agency affiliated to Islamic State, said its fighters had repelled the latest attacks on their positions in al Qadam and Hay al Tadamon, killing at least 17 army fighters killed in sniper attacks. The ultra-hardline Sunni militants also pushed overnight into some positions in the southern Damascus pocket where mainly mainstream rebels operating under the umbrella of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) are in control, opposition sources said. A deal was reached overnight under Russian auspices to evacuate those FSA rebels who are based in the towns of Yalda, Babila and Beit Sahem that adjoin Islamic State-held areas to opposition held areas in northern Syria, a rebel source said confirming leaks in state media. Those rebels who have in the past fought both the militants and the Syrian army have also been targeted by the army in an attempt to force them to capitulate.

Syrian army tightens noose around Palestinian camp

Air strikes pounded a jihadist-held area near Damascus on Sunday, footage broadcast by Syrian state TV stations showed, as the Syrian government stepped up efforts to wipe out the insurgency's last foothold near the capital.

Thick clouds of smoke rose from the al-Hajar al-Aswad area and the sound of jets could be heard in broadcasts from the area just south of Damascus that is controlled by insurgents from the Islamic State and Nusra Front groups.

UNRWA, the UN&nbspagency that cares for Palestinians, said two Palestinian refugee civilians - a father and son - had been killed in their home in the adjacent Palestinian camp of Yarmouk.

Thousands of homes had been destroyed in Yarmouk in the last four days of fighting, Chris Gunness, UNRWA spokesman, said.

"There must be safe passage for the sick and the wounded and the dying civilians," he said. "Yarmouk has been transformed into a death camp, like one of the lower regions of hell."

The jihadist-held enclave is adjoined by a pocket held by other rebel groups fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner.

President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Iran and Russia, is seeking to crush the last few besieged rebel enclaves, building on the defeat of insurgents in the eastern Ghouta region, which was the rebels' last major stronghold near the capital.

Rebel fighters on Saturday began to withdraw from an enclave they held northeast of Damascus in the eastern Qalamoun region in a surrender agreement with the government. They are being transported to opposition-held territory at the Turkish border.

Although the conquest of eastern Qalamoun and the enclave south of Damascus will leave just one remaining besieged rebel enclave, north of the city of Homs, large parts of Syria at the borders with Jordan, Israel, Turkey and Iraq remain outside Assad's control.

Anti-Assad rebels hold a chunk of territory in the southwest and the northwest, and Kurdish-led militias, backed by the United States, control an expanse of northern and eastern Syria.

Thick clouds of smoke rose from the al-Hajar al-Aswad area and the sound of jets could be heard in broadcasts from the area just south of Damascus

Air strikes pounded a jihadist-held area near Damascus on Sunday, footage broadcast by Syrian state TV stations showed, as the Syrian government stepped up efforts to wipe out the insurgency's last foothold near the capital. Thick clouds of smoke rose from the al-Hajar al-Aswad area and the sound of jets could be heard in broadcasts from the area just south of Damascus that is controlled by insurgents from the Islamic State and Nusra Front groups. UNRWA, the UN&nbspagency that cares for Palestinians, said two Palestinian refugee civilians - a father and son - had been killed in their home in the adjacent Palestinian camp of Yarmouk. Thousands of homes had been destroyed in Yarmouk in the last four days of fighting, Chris Gunness, UNRWA spokesman, said. "There must be safe passage for the sick and the wounded and the dying civilians," he said. "Yarmouk has been transformed into a death camp, like one of the lower regions of hell." The jihadist-held enclave is adjoined by a pocket held by other rebel groups fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner. President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Iran and Russia, is seeking to crush the last few besieged rebel enclaves, building on the defeat of insurgents in the eastern Ghouta region, which was the rebels' last major stronghold near the capital. Rebel fighters on Saturday began to withdraw from an enclave they held northeast of Damascus in the eastern Qalamoun region in a surrender agreement with the government. They are being transported to opposition-held territory at the Turkish border. Although the conquest of eastern Qalamoun and the enclave south of Damascus will leave just one remaining besieged rebel enclave, north of the city of Homs, large parts of Syria at the borders with Jordan, Israel, Turkey and Iraq remain outside Assad's control. Anti-Assad rebels hold a chunk of territory in the southwest and the northwest, and Kurdish-led militias, backed by the United States, control an expanse of northern and eastern Syria.

Air strikes pound insurgent enclave close to Damascus

Syrian rebels began withdrawing from an enclave northeast of Damascus on Saturday and will go to northern Syria, state TV and a rebel official said, in a surrender agreement that marks another victory for President Bashar al-Assad.

The withdrawal will restore state control over the eastern Qalamoun enclave, some 40 km (25 miles) from Damascus.&nbsp

Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, is seeking to wipe out the last few rebel enclaves near Damascus, building on momentum from the defeat of the insurgency in eastern Ghouta, which was the last major opposition stronghold near the capital.

State TV said rebel fighters and their families would be transported from eastern Qalamoun to Idlib and Jarablus, a rebel-held territory at the border with Turkey, with 3,200 militants and their families expected to leave on Saturday.

The spokesman for one of the rebel groups in eastern Qalamoun said the insurgents had agreed to the deal after intensified Russian shelling killed six people in areas near the town of al-Ruhaiba earlier this week.

"This made the Free (Syrian) Army factions sit at the negotiating table with the Russian side and an agreement was reached the most important articles of which are the surrender of heavy weapons and the departure of fighters to the north," Said Seif of the Ahmad Abdo Martyr brigade said.&nbsp

A first convoy of 10 buses had left Ruhaiba and was being searched in a nearby area before continuing to the north.&nbsp

Humanitarian situation

Meanwhile, the Syrian military and its allies pressed the bombardment of a besieged enclave south of Damascus.&nbsp

State TV footage showed clouds of smoke rising from the al-Hajar al-Aswad district, part of an enclave including the Palestinian Yarmouk camp that is held by Islamic State and other jihadist groups.

A commander in the regional military alliance that fights in support of Assad said jihadist positions were being targeted with all types of weapons. "Daesh positions are being targeted by Syrian army helicopters," the commander added, using an acronym for Islamic State.

UNRWA, the UN&nbspagency that cares for Palestinian refugees, has said it is deeply concerned about the fate of civilians including some 12,000 Palestinian refugees in Yarmouk and the surrounding areas.

"Displacement continues with people moving to the neighbouring area of Yalda ... to escape the fighting. Some families are staying in Yarmouk, either because they cannot move due to the intensity of fighting or because they choose to remain," UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness said.

"We don't have any numbers on how many people have moved but the humanitarian situation of those in both Yarmouk and Yalda is intolerable."

Although the conquest of eastern Qalamoun and the enclave south of Damascus will leave just one remaining besieged rebel enclave, north of the city of Homs, large parts of Syria at the borders with Jordan, Israel, Turkey and Iraq remain outside Assad's control, however.&nbsp

Anti-Assad rebels hold a chunk of territory in the southwest and the northwest, and Kurdish-led militias, backed by the United States, control an expanse of northern and eastern Syria.&nbsp 
&nbsp

Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, is seeking to wipe out the last few rebel enclaves near Damascus

Syrian rebels began withdrawing from an enclave northeast of Damascus on Saturday and will go to northern Syria, state TV and a rebel official said, in a surrender agreement that marks another victory for President Bashar al-Assad. The withdrawal will restore state control over the eastern Qalamoun enclave, some 40 km (25 miles) from Damascus. Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, is seeking to wipe out the last few rebel enclaves near Damascus, building on momentum from the defeat of the insurgency in eastern Ghouta, which was the last major opposition stronghold near the capital. State TV said rebel fighters and their families would be transported from eastern Qalamoun to Idlib and Jarablus, a rebel-held territory at the border with Turkey, with 3,200 militants and their families expected to leave on Saturday. The spokesman for one of the rebel groups in eastern Qalamoun said the insurgents had agreed to the deal after intensified Russian shelling killed six people in areas near the town of al-Ruhaiba earlier this week. "This made the Free (Syrian) Army factions sit at the negotiating table with the Russian side and an agreement was reached the most important articles of which are the surrender of heavy weapons and the departure of fighters to the north," Said Seif of the Ahmad Abdo Martyr brigade said. A first convoy of 10 buses had left Ruhaiba and was being searched in a nearby area before continuing to the north. Humanitarian situation Meanwhile, the Syrian military and its allies pressed the bombardment of a besieged enclave south of Damascus. State TV footage showed clouds of smoke rising from the al-Hajar al-Aswad district, part of an enclave including the Palestinian Yarmouk camp that is held by Islamic State and other jihadist groups. A commander in the regional military alliance that fights in support of Assad said jihadist positions were being targeted with all types of weapons. "Daesh positions are being targeted by Syrian army helicopters," the commander added, using an acronym for Islamic State. UNRWA, the UN&nbspagency that cares for Palestinian refugees, has said it is deeply concerned about the fate of civilians including some 12,000 Palestinian refugees in Yarmouk and the surrounding areas. "Displacement continues with people moving to the neighbouring area of Yalda ... to escape the fighting. Some families are staying in Yarmouk, either because they cannot move due to the intensity of fighting or because they choose to remain," UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness said. "We don't have any numbers on how many people have moved but the humanitarian situation of those in both Yarmouk and Yalda is intolerable." Although the conquest of eastern Qalamoun and the enclave south of Damascus will leave just one remaining besieged rebel enclave, north of the city of Homs, large parts of Syria at the borders with Jordan, Israel, Turkey and Iraq remain outside Assad's control, however. Anti-Assad rebels hold a chunk of territory in the southwest and the northwest, and Kurdish-led militias, backed by the United States, control an expanse of northern and eastern Syria.

Syrian rebels withdraw from enclave northeast of Damascus

Syrian anti-aircraft defences shot down missiles fired at the Syrian air base of Shayrat in Homs province late on Monday and another base northeast of the capital, Damascus, Syria's state television and pro-Iranian Hezbollah media said.

State television showed pictures of a missile that was shot in the air above the air base only days after a U.S., British and French attack on Syrian targets in retaliation for a suspected chemical attack on the city of Douma on the outskirts of Damascus.

State television did not mention three missiles that were fired at Dumair military airport, northeast of Damascus, that pro-Iranian Hezbollah's media service reported were intercepted by Syrian air defences.

Opposition sources say Dumair airport is a major air base used in a large-scale military campaign waged by the Syrian army with Russian firepower that regained eastern Ghouta, a rebel enclave on the outskirts of Damascus.

A Pentagon spokesman said there was no U.S. military activity in that area at this time.

Asked about the missile attack, an Israeli military spokesman said: "We don't comment on such reports."

Shayrat air base was targeted last year in a U.S. cruise missile attack in response to a chemical attack that killed at least 70 people, including children, on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun.

Israel has struck Syrian army locations many times in the course of the conflict, hitting convoys and bases of Iranian-backed militias that fight alongside Syrian President Bashar al- Assad's forces.

Israel has long said Iran was expanding its influence in a belt of territory that stretches from the Iraqi border to the Lebanese border, where Israel says Iran supplies Hezbollah with arms.

Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed militias have a large military presence in Syria and are well entrenched in central and eastern areas near the Iraqi border.

State television showed pictures of a missile that was shot in the air above the air base only days after a US, British and French attack on Syrian targets in retaliation for a suspected chemical attack on the city of Douma on the outskirts of Damascus

Syrian anti-aircraft defences shot down missiles fired at the Syrian air base of Shayrat in Homs province late on Monday and another base northeast of the capital, Damascus, Syria's state television and pro-Iranian Hezbollah media said. State television showed pictures of a missile that was shot in the air above the air base only days after a U.S., British and French attack on Syrian targets in retaliation for a suspected chemical attack on the city of Douma on the outskirts of Damascus. State television did not mention three missiles that were fired at Dumair military airport, northeast of Damascus, that pro-Iranian Hezbollah's media service reported were intercepted by Syrian air defences. Opposition sources say Dumair airport is a major air base used in a large-scale military campaign waged by the Syrian army with Russian firepower that regained eastern Ghouta, a rebel enclave on the outskirts of Damascus. A Pentagon spokesman said there was no U.S. military activity in that area at this time. Asked about the missile attack, an Israeli military spokesman said: "We don't comment on such reports." Shayrat air base was targeted last year in a U.S. cruise missile attack in response to a chemical attack that killed at least 70 people, including children, on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun. Israel has struck Syrian army locations many times in the course of the conflict, hitting convoys and bases of Iranian-backed militias that fight alongside Syrian President Bashar al- Assad's forces. Israel has long said Iran was expanding its influence in a belt of territory that stretches from the Iraqi border to the Lebanese border, where Israel says Iran supplies Hezbollah with arms. Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed militias have a large military presence in Syria and are well entrenched in central and eastern areas near the Iraqi border.

Syrian air defences shoot down missiles over two air bases in Homs: State TV

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday backed air strikes by the United States and its allies on Syria's chemical weapons program but Argentina, Brazil and Peru voiced caution during a regional summit about the escalating military action.

Speaking at the Summit of the Americas in Peru, Trudeau and several other Western Hemisphere leaders forcefully condemned the use of chemical weapons, following a suspected poison gas attack last week in a Damascus suburb that killed up to 75 people and sparked international outcry.

Washington blamed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government for the attack and, together with Britain and France, launched missile strikes overnight on what it said were Syrian chemical weapons facilities.

"Canada stands with our friends in this necessary response and we condemn in the strongest possible terms the use of chemical weapons in last week's attack," Trudeau said in his speech. "Those responsible must be brought to justice."

But the retaliatory action drew pleas for caution from several Latin American countries.

"There's deep concern in Brazil with the escalation of military conflict in Syria," Brazilian President Michel Temer told the summit. "It's time to find permanent solutions based on international law to a war that has been going for far too long and ended too many lives."

Peru, a non-permanent member of the UN&nbsp;Security Council, called for moderation from all parties involved in Syria and said it was working to find a political solution, according to a foreign ministry statement.

Argentine President Mauricio Macri also appealed for greater coordination on Syria "in the framework of existing international commitments", remarks later echoed by Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

Outside the summit, the strikes drew swift condemnation from left-leaning governments in Bolivia and Cuba, outspoken critics of US&nbsp;influence.

But Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, a close US&nbsp;ally in Latin America, appeared to back Washington as he condemned chemical weapons.

"We support actions to punish their use and seek their total elimination," Santos said.

The Pentagon said the missile strikes in Syria had hit every target. It said the military action was aimed at delivering an unambiguous signal to the Syrian government and deterring the future use of chemical weapons.

The official theme of the Summit of the Americas is the fight against corruption. Many countries in attendance are also expected to condemn a pending election in Venezuela.

But Syria, China and trade loomed over the talks on Saturday as Washington seeks to advance the agenda of U.S. President Donald Trump, which is widely unpopular in the region.

Trump canceled his attendance at the summit to focus on Syria. US Vice President Mike Pence, filling in for him, was expected to discuss Syria in his speech on Saturday and in meetings with heads of state.

Nafta talks

Pence met with Pena Nieto privately at the summit. The Mexican leader told reporters they would discuss not just the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) but also maintaining a relationship of "mutual respect" between their two countries.

Pence and Pena Nieto kept their remarks to reporters extremely brief - in contrast to the more expansive and warmer tone struck by Pence and Trudeau during the public part of a meeting held minutes earlier.

Trudeau said there was "positive momentum" on reworking the NAFTA accord - which groups Canada, Mexico and the United States - while Pence said talks were encouraging.

"As the president said very recently, we think we're close," Pence said before starting the meeting with Pena Nieto. "We are hopeful that we can conclude a successful renegotiation of NAFTA."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday backed air strikes by the United States and its allies on Syria's chemical weapons program but Argentina, Brazil and Peru voiced caution during a regional summit about the escalating military action

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday backed air strikes by the United States and its allies on Syria's chemical weapons program but Argentina, Brazil and Peru voiced caution during a regional summit about the escalating military action. Speaking at the Summit of the Americas in Peru, Trudeau and several other Western Hemisphere leaders forcefully condemned the use of chemical weapons, following a suspected poison gas attack last week in a Damascus suburb that killed up to 75 people and sparked international outcry. Washington blamed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government for the attack and, together with Britain and France, launched missile strikes overnight on what it said were Syrian chemical weapons facilities. "Canada stands with our friends in this necessary response and we condemn in the strongest possible terms the use of chemical weapons in last week's attack," Trudeau said in his speech. "Those responsible must be brought to justice." But the retaliatory action drew pleas for caution from several Latin American countries. "There's deep concern in Brazil with the escalation of military conflict in Syria," Brazilian President Michel Temer told the summit. "It's time to find permanent solutions based on international law to a war that has been going for far too long and ended too many lives." Peru, a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, called for moderation from all parties involved in Syria and said it was working to find a political solution, according to a foreign ministry statement. Argentine President Mauricio Macri also appealed for greater coordination on Syria "in the framework of existing international commitments", remarks later echoed by Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. Outside the summit, the strikes drew swift condemnation from left-leaning governments in Bolivia and Cuba, outspoken critics of US influence. But Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, a close US ally in Latin America, appeared to back Washington as he condemned chemical weapons. "We support actions to punish their use and seek their total elimination," Santos said. The Pentagon said the missile strikes in Syria had hit every target. It said the military action was aimed at delivering an unambiguous signal to the Syrian government and deterring the future use of chemical weapons. The official theme of the Summit of the Americas is the fight against corruption. Many countries in attendance are also expected to condemn a pending election in Venezuela. But Syria, China and trade loomed over the talks on Saturday as Washington seeks to advance the agenda of U.S. President Donald Trump, which is widely unpopular in the region. Trump canceled his attendance at the summit to focus on Syria. US Vice President Mike Pence, filling in for him, was expected to discuss Syria in his speech on Saturday and in meetings with heads of state. Nafta talks Pence met with Pena Nieto privately at the summit. The Mexican leader told reporters they would discuss not just the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) but also maintaining a relationship of "mutual respect" between their two countries. Pence and Pena Nieto kept their remarks to reporters extremely brief - in contrast to the more expansive and warmer tone struck by Pence and Trudeau during the public part of a meeting held minutes earlier. Trudeau said there was "positive momentum" on reworking the NAFTA accord - which groups Canada, Mexico and the United States - while Pence said talks were encouraging. "As the president said very recently, we think we're close," Pence said before starting the meeting with Pena Nieto. "We are hopeful that we can conclude a successful renegotiation of NAFTA."

Canada backs Syria strikes but others concerned at Americas summit

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump on Twitter praised Western air strikes against the Syrian government on Saturday as "perfectly executed", and added "Mission Accomplished".

"A perfectly executed strike last night. Thank you to France and the United Kingdom for their wisdom and the power of their fine Military. Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!" Trump said in a Twitter post.

Trump's message echoed the words of a banner that hung behind former President George W. Bush when he gave a speech in 2003 from the USS Abraham Lincoln, during the Iraq War.

That visual dogged Bush's presidency as the war dragged out, with worsening American casualties, for the remainder of his two terms in office.&nbsp;

<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FLYWyMHuSD8" width="560"></iframe>

'A perfectly executed strike last night. Thank you to France and the United Kingdom for their wisdom and the power of their fine Military. Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!' Trump said on Twitter

US President Donald Trump on Twitter praised Western air strikes against the Syrian government on Saturday as "perfectly executed", and added "Mission Accomplished". "A perfectly executed strike last night. Thank you to France and the United Kingdom for their wisdom and the power of their fine Military. Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!" Trump said in a Twitter post. Trump's message echoed the words of a banner that hung behind former President George W. Bush when he gave a speech in 2003 from the USS Abraham Lincoln, during the Iraq War. That visual dogged Bush's presidency as the war dragged out, with worsening American casualties, for the remainder of his two terms in office.

'Mission accomplished', tweets Trump. Says Syria strikes 'perfectly executed'

Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the overnight U.S.-led missile attack on Syria and called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, the Kremlin said on Saturday.

Putin said the US&nbsp;actions in Syria made the humanitarian catastrophe worse and caused pain for civilians, as well as damaging international relations.&nbsp;

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/action-will-not-be-without-consequences-russia-on-syria-strikes-130335">Action will not be without consequences, says Russia</a>

Putin said the US action in Syria made the humanitarian catastrophe worse and caused pain for civilians, as well as damaging international relations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the overnight U.S.-led missile attack on Syria and called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, the Kremlin said on Saturday. Putin said the US actions in Syria made the humanitarian catastrophe worse and caused pain for civilians, as well as damaging international relations. Also read: Action will not be without consequences, says Russia

Putin condemns strike on Syria, calls for emergency UN meeting

France president Emmanuel Macron has condemned the use of chemical weapons against civilians in a rebel-held Syrian town, Douma.

According to Elysee Palace, Macron was on a call with US president Donald Trump when he discussed the attack with him.

The official statement from the French presidency said, "strongly condemned the chemical attacks on April 7 against the population of Douma".&nbsp;

News agency AFP reported that the two leaders exchanged information allegedly confirming the use of chemical weapons and would coordinate their efforts at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council in New York on Monday.

Dozens of people were killed in the chemical attack carried out on the rebel-held town in eastern Ghouta.

In earlier reports rebel groups of Syria accused Damascus of carrying out the attack however, Syrian state media denied such reports saying that eastern Ghouta of Douma is in a state of collapse and spreading false news.

Following the attack, nine UN Security Council members urged to have an emergency meeting to discuss reports about the chemical gas attack.

US State Department is also monitoring the situation closely.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-says-big-price-to-pay-for-syria-chemical-attack-129188">Also read: Trump says 'big price to pay' for Syria chemical attack</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/turkey-condemns-use-of-chemical-weapons-in-douma-syria-129180">Also read: Turkey condemns </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/turkey-condemns-use-of-chemical-weapons-in-douma-syria-129180">use</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/turkey-condemns-use-of-chemical-weapons-in-douma-syria-129180"> of chemical weapons in Douma, Syria</a>

The official statement from the French presidency said, 'strongly condemned the chemical attacks on April 7 against the population of Douma'

France president Emmanuel Macron has condemned the use of chemical weapons against civilians in a rebel-held Syrian town, Douma. According to Elysee Palace, Macron was on a call with US president Donald Trump when he discussed the attack with him. The official statement from the French presidency said, "strongly condemned the chemical attacks on April 7 against the population of Douma". News agency AFP reported that the two leaders exchanged information allegedly confirming the use of chemical weapons and would coordinate their efforts at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council in New York on Monday. Dozens of people were killed in the chemical attack carried out on the rebel-held town in eastern Ghouta. In earlier reports rebel groups of Syria accused Damascus of carrying out the attack however, Syrian state media denied such reports saying that eastern Ghouta of Douma is in a state of collapse and spreading false news. Following the attack, nine UN Security Council members urged to have an emergency meeting to discuss reports about the chemical gas attack. US State Department is also monitoring the situation closely. Also read: Trump says 'big price to pay' for Syria chemical attack Also read: Turkey condemns use of chemical weapons in Douma, Syria

French president Emmanuel Macron condemns Syria 'chemical attacks'

Video posted to a social media website shows people, including several children, being treated with medicine via inhaler in an emergency clinic, in what is said to be Douma, Syria. Many were being hosed down with water.

The video emerged amid reports by a Syrian rebel group which accused government forces on Saturday (April 7) of launching a deadly chemical attack on civilians in a rebel-held town in eastern Ghouta, and a medical relief organisation said 35 people had been killed in chemical attacks on the area.

Syrian state media denied government forces had launched any chemical attack and said rebels in the eastern Ghouta town of Douma were in a state of collapse and spreading false news.

The US State Department said it was monitoring the situation and that Russia should be blamed if chemicals were used.

Reuters could not independently verify reports of a chemical attack.

The Syrian government has recaptured nearly all of eastern Ghouta from rebels in an offensive that began in February, leaving just Douma in the hands of an insurgent group, Jaish al-Islam.

Russian-backed Syrian government forces resumed the assault on Friday afternoon with heavy air strikes after days of calm.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 11 people had died in Douma as a result of suffocation caused by the smoke from conventional weapons being dropped by the government. It said a total of 70 people suffered breathing difficulties.

Rami Abdulrahman, the Observatory director, said he could not confirm if chemical weapons had been used.

Medical relief organisation Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) said a chlorine bomb hit Douma hospital, killing six people, and a second attack with "mixed agents" including nerve agents had hit a nearby building.

Basel Termanini, the US-based vice president of SAMS, told Reuters the total death toll in the chemical attacks was 35.

Syrian state media denied government forces had launched any chemical attack and said rebels in the eastern Ghouta town of Douma were in a state of collapse and spreading false news

Video posted to a social media website shows people, including several children, being treated with medicine via inhaler in an emergency clinic, in what is said to be Douma, Syria. Many were being hosed down with water. The video emerged amid reports by a Syrian rebel group which accused government forces on Saturday (April 7) of launching a deadly chemical attack on civilians in a rebel-held town in eastern Ghouta, and a medical relief organisation said 35 people had been killed in chemical attacks on the area. Syrian state media denied government forces had launched any chemical attack and said rebels in the eastern Ghouta town of Douma were in a state of collapse and spreading false news. The US State Department said it was monitoring the situation and that Russia should be blamed if chemicals were used. Reuters could not independently verify reports of a chemical attack. The Syrian government has recaptured nearly all of eastern Ghouta from rebels in an offensive that began in February, leaving just Douma in the hands of an insurgent group, Jaish al-Islam. Russian-backed Syrian government forces resumed the assault on Friday afternoon with heavy air strikes after days of calm. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 11 people had died in Douma as a result of suffocation caused by the smoke from conventional weapons being dropped by the government. It said a total of 70 people suffered breathing difficulties. Rami Abdulrahman, the Observatory director, said he could not confirm if chemical weapons had been used. Medical relief organisation Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) said a chlorine bomb hit Douma hospital, killing six people, and a second attack with "mixed agents" including nerve agents had hit a nearby building. Basel Termanini, the US-based vice president of SAMS, told Reuters the total death toll in the chemical attacks was 35.

Dozens killed in deadly gas attack reported on Syrian rebel enclave, Damascus denies

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/manu-bhaker-all-of-16-runs-away-with-10m-pistol-gold-at-cwg-129058">CWG 2018: Manu </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/manu-bhaker-all-of-16-runs-away-with-10m-pistol-gold-at-cwg-129058">Bhaker</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/manu-bhaker-all-of-16-runs-away-with-10m-pistol-gold-at-cwg-129058">, all of 16, runs away with 10m pistol gold</a>

India's 16-year-old Manu Bhaker comfortably won the gold in women's 10 air pistol while Heena Sidhu staged a remarkable recovery to secure silver at the 21st Commonwealth Games here today.

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German authorities have for now ruled out a connection to Islamist terrorism after a man rammed customers on a restaurant terrace, killing two people, but much remains unclear about the incident.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/baghdads-infrastructure-in-ruins-15-years-after-saddam-fell-129057">Baghdad's infrastructure in ruins 15 years after Saddam fell</a>

After the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, there were hopes its millennium-old capital Baghdad could rise again from the ashes, but construction sites have remained idle as if time stood still.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/death-toll-rises-to-15-in-canada-bus-crash--129046">Death toll rises to 15 in Canada bus crash</a>

The death toll for the Canadian bus crash, carrying 28 people, rose to 15 on Sunday. The bus was also carrying players of a junior league hockey team have died too.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/dozens-dead-in-deadly-gas-attack-reported-on-syrian-rebel-enclave-damascus-denies-129040">Dozens dead in deadly gas attack reported on Syrian rebel enclave, Damascus denies</a>

Video posted to a social media website shows people, including several children, being treated with medicine via inhaler in an emergency clinic, in what is said to be Douma, Syria. Many were being hosed down with water.

CWG 2018: Manu Bhaker, all of 16, runs away with 10m pistol gold India's 16-year-old Manu Bhaker comfortably won the gold in women's 10 air pistol while Heena Sidhu staged a remarkable recovery to secure silver at the 21st Commonwealth Games here today. Ramming attack in Germany: what we know German authorities have for now ruled out a connection to Islamist terrorism after a man rammed customers on a restaurant terrace, killing two people, but much remains unclear about the incident. Baghdad's infrastructure in ruins 15 years after Saddam fell After the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, there were hopes its millennium-old capital Baghdad could rise again from the ashes, but construction sites have remained idle as if time stood still. Death toll rises to 15 in Canada bus crash The death toll for the Canadian bus crash, carrying 28 people, rose to 15 on Sunday. The bus was also carrying players of a junior league hockey team have died too. Dozens dead in deadly gas attack reported on Syrian rebel enclave, Damascus denies Video posted to a social media website shows people, including several children, being treated with medicine via inhaler in an emergency clinic, in what is said to be Douma, Syria. Many were being hosed down with water.

News brief: Top stories of the day

Syria's regime drew closer to taking full control of Eastern Ghouta on Monday as state media reported that fighters began evacuating from the last rebel-held pocket of the former opposition stronghold near Damascus.

A Russian-brokered deal had been reported on Sunday for fighters with Jaish al-Islam, the largest rebel group still in Ghouta, to leave the enclave's main town of Douma.

But the rebels have not yet confirmed the agreement, amid reports of divisions in the group as hardline fighters refuse to abandon their posts.

The retaking of Eastern Ghouta would mark a major milestone in President Bashar al-Assad's efforts to regain control of territory seized by rebel factions during Syria's seven-year civil war.

Assad's forces have retaken 95 per cent of Eastern Ghouta since launching a blistering air and ground assault on the besieged enclave on February 18, killing 1,600 civilians and displacing tens of thousands more.

State media on Monday said Jaish al-Islam fighters and their families had started leaving Douma, in preparation for them heading to a rebel-held town in northern Syria.

"A group of buses carrying a number of Jaish al-Islam terrorists and their families leave Douma in preparation of them being transported to Jarabulus," state news agency SANA said, using the government's term for all rebel fighters.

State television said six buses had left Douma, the only opposition holdout six weeks after the start of the offensive.

The rebels have been negotiating with Russia, a key ally of Assad, for days on an agreement to evacuate Douma.&nbsp

Late on Sunday, Russian news agency Interfax quoted General Yuri Yevtushenko saying a "preliminary deal" had been reached to evacuate Jaish al-Islam fighters from Eastern Ghouta.

Jaish al-Islam has previously said it would not leave Douma and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported divisions within its ranks.

"There are attempts to convince the hardline wing of Jaish al-Islam not to obstruct the agreement with the Russians," the head of the Britain-based monitor, Rami Abdel Rahman, said on Monday.

In video footage published by Jaish al-Islam online on Sunday, the group's leader told a group of men in a mosque he would stay.

"We will stay in this town and will not leave. Those who want to leave should leave," Essam al-Buidani says.

It was not immediately possible to verify when the video was filmed.

Backed by Russia, Assad's forces have scored a series of victories over rebel forces in recent years, often through campaigns of siege, aerial bombardment and ground offensives that have drawn widespread international condemnation.

Before February 18, some 400,000 people in Eastern Ghouta had lived under regime siege for five years, facing severe food and medicine shortages.

After pounding it with air strikes, regime forces have taken back most of the enclave through a combination of ground assaults and Russia-brokered evacuation deals.

In the past few weeks, these deals have seen more than 46,000 people - fighters and civilians - board buses with scant belongings to be driven to the northwestern province of Idlib, which is largely outside government control.

These include more than 1,000 people - fighters from another faction, Faylaq al-Rahman, and family members - who left Douma late Sunday, according to state media.

On Monday before dawn, an AFP correspondent saw men, women and children step off buses in the area of Qalaat al-Madiq in central Hama province, a common way station on the road to Idlib.

An old woman dressed head-to-toe in black stood by a pile of suitcases and a blanket, a child wearing a winter coat and colourful backpack by her side.

A man slung a gun over his shoulder as he picked up a travel bag, while a young boy, who appeared weak and unable to move his limbs, was carried into an ambulance.

A man in a long white robe walked on crutches, his weight on one leg only and a light weapon visible under his khaki jacket.

Syria's war has killed more than 350,000 people and displaced millions since starting in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-regime protests.

A Russian-brokered deal had been reported on Sunday for fighters with Jaish al-Islam to leave the enclave's main town of Douma

Syria's regime drew closer to taking full control of Eastern Ghouta on Monday as state media reported that fighters began evacuating from the last rebel-held pocket of the former opposition stronghold near Damascus. A Russian-brokered deal had been reported on Sunday for fighters with Jaish al-Islam, the largest rebel group still in Ghouta, to leave the enclave's main town of Douma. But the rebels have not yet confirmed the agreement, amid reports of divisions in the group as hardline fighters refuse to abandon their posts. The retaking of Eastern Ghouta would mark a major milestone in President Bashar al-Assad's efforts to regain control of territory seized by rebel factions during Syria's seven-year civil war. Assad's forces have retaken 95 per cent of Eastern Ghouta since launching a blistering air and ground assault on the besieged enclave on February 18, killing 1,600 civilians and displacing tens of thousands more. State media on Monday said Jaish al-Islam fighters and their families had started leaving Douma, in preparation for them heading to a rebel-held town in northern Syria. "A group of buses carrying a number of Jaish al-Islam terrorists and their families leave Douma in preparation of them being transported to Jarabulus," state news agency SANA said, using the government's term for all rebel fighters. State television said six buses had left Douma, the only opposition holdout six weeks after the start of the offensive. The rebels have been negotiating with Russia, a key ally of Assad, for days on an agreement to evacuate Douma. Late on Sunday, Russian news agency Interfax quoted General Yuri Yevtushenko saying a "preliminary deal" had been reached to evacuate Jaish al-Islam fighters from Eastern Ghouta. Jaish al-Islam has previously said it would not leave Douma and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported divisions within its ranks. "There are attempts to convince the hardline wing of Jaish al-Islam not to obstruct the agreement with the Russians," the head of the Britain-based monitor, Rami Abdel Rahman, said on Monday. In video footage published by Jaish al-Islam online on Sunday, the group's leader told a group of men in a mosque he would stay. "We will stay in this town and will not leave. Those who want to leave should leave," Essam al-Buidani says. It was not immediately possible to verify when the video was filmed. Backed by Russia, Assad's forces have scored a series of victories over rebel forces in recent years, often through campaigns of siege, aerial bombardment and ground offensives that have drawn widespread international condemnation. Before February 18, some 400,000 people in Eastern Ghouta had lived under regime siege for five years, facing severe food and medicine shortages. After pounding it with air strikes, regime forces have taken back most of the enclave through a combination of ground assaults and Russia-brokered evacuation deals. In the past few weeks, these deals have seen more than 46,000 people - fighters and civilians - board buses with scant belongings to be driven to the northwestern province of Idlib, which is largely outside government control. These include more than 1,000 people - fighters from another faction, Faylaq al-Rahman, and family members - who left Douma late Sunday, according to state media. On Monday before dawn, an AFP correspondent saw men, women and children step off buses in the area of Qalaat al-Madiq in central Hama province, a common way station on the road to Idlib. An old woman dressed head-to-toe in black stood by a pile of suitcases and a blanket, a child wearing a winter coat and colourful backpack by her side. A man slung a gun over his shoulder as he picked up a travel bag, while a young boy, who appeared weak and unable to move his limbs, was carried into an ambulance. A man in a long white robe walked on crutches, his weight on one leg only and a light weapon visible under his khaki jacket. Syria's war has killed more than 350,000 people and displaced millions since starting in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-regime protests.

Fighters begin leaving last rebel pocket of Syria's Ghouta

An agreement had been reached to evacuate Jaish al Islam rebel fighters from the last insurgent bastion in the eastern suburbs of Damascus to the city of Jarablus in northern Syria near the border with Turkey, a Hezbollah run-media unit said on Sunday.

The deal comes after several days of negotiations to spare bloodshed in the city of Douma and will include setting up a Syrian government-approved local council in the city that will run its affairs after rebels withdraw, the media unit said on social media.

&nbsp

An agreement had been reached to evacuate Jaish al Islam rebel fighters from the last insurgent bastion in the eastern suburbs of Damascus to the city of Jarablus in northern Syria near the border with Turkey, a Hezbollah run-media unit said on Sunday

An agreement had been reached to evacuate Jaish al Islam rebel fighters from the last insurgent bastion in the eastern suburbs of Damascus to the city of Jarablus in northern Syria near the border with Turkey, a Hezbollah run-media unit said on Sunday. The deal comes after several days of negotiations to spare bloodshed in the city of Douma and will include setting up a Syrian government-approved local council in the city that will run its affairs after rebels withdraw, the media unit said on social media.

Deal sealed to evacuate Douma rebels to northern Syria: Hezbollah media unit

Syria's army promised Saturday to finish off fighters in the final opposition holdout of devastated Eastern Ghouta outside Damascus after a penultimate pocket was declared "empty" of rebels.

Russia-backed regime forces have recaptured the vast majority of the enclave through the combination of a deadly air and ground assault and evacuation deals.

After a six-week blitz the only remaining scrap of rebel-held territory centres on the main town of Douma, but Moscow-brokered talks over a possible evacuation have stalled as the group controlling it has pledged to stay put.&nbsp;

Syria's army vowed it would now press on with "fighting in the area of Douma to rid it of terrorism", using the term it usually uses to refer to rebels.

The announcement came shortly after state news agency SANA reported another rebel area was "empty of terrorism" as the last buses carrying rebels and civilians left it on Saturday afternoon as part of a deal to withdraw.

More than 41,000 people have been bussed out of the southern pocket held by the Faylaq al-Rahman rebel group in over a week under the Russian-supervised agreement, according to a tally of state media figures.

"It's a strategic victory against terror and a turning point" in the battle for Eastern Ghouta, an army officer told state television as soldiers around him celebrated.

As of Saturday, regime forces supported by their Russian allies had retaken 95 percent of Eastern Ghouta, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The assault on Ghouta has killed more than 1,600 civilians since February 18 and seen tens of thousands more flee the fighting into regime-held areas, the Britain-based monitor says.

Troops have pursued a divide-and-conquer strategy, seizing most of the enclave then breaking up what was left of it into three isolated pockets.

In total, more than 45,500 people have left Eastern Ghouta under evacuation deals from the two first pockets.

Now Jaish al-Islam are the only rebels left clinging on to their turf after the others were sent packing.

The head of Jaish al-Islam's political office, Yasser Delwan, said late Saturday that talks over Douma's fate were ongoing.

"But we still haven't reached an agreement," he said, however describing the atmosphere of the negotiations as "positive".On Friday, Russia's defence ministry said it had brokered a deal that would see rebels abandon Douma "shortly", but the fighters denied it immediately.

Jaish al-Islam had been angling to reach a settlement with the Russians whereby they could stay.&nbsp;

But negotiations faltered over the group's demands of a general amnesty and unrestricted movement for Douma residents across the country, a source with knowledge of the talks told AFP.&nbsp;

Moscow threatened Jaish al-Islam with a renewed assault on the town if they did not agree to withdraw, and Syrian troops have amassed around the holdout.&nbsp;

With the offensive on Eastern Ghouta, President Bashar al-Assad has sought to secure his capital Damascus, which was within mortar range of the rebel enclave.

Last week, a rebel rocket attack on the capital killed 44 civilians.

Assad's forces retaking Eastern Ghouta would be a considerable victory in Syria's seven-year war, which has killed more than 350,000 people and displaced millions.

Syria's civil war started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

Eastern Ghouta is the "beating heart of the rebellion near Assad's capital," said analyst Nick Heras, a fellow at the Center for a New American Security.

"When Assad stops that heart from beating, he eliminates the greatest threat to his rule in Damascus."

After a six-week blitz the only remaining scrap of rebel-held territory centres on the main town of Douma, but Moscow-brokered talks over a possible evacuation have stalled as the group controlling it has pledged to stay put

Syria's army promised Saturday to finish off fighters in the final opposition holdout of devastated Eastern Ghouta outside Damascus after a penultimate pocket was declared "empty" of rebels. Russia-backed regime forces have recaptured the vast majority of the enclave through the combination of a deadly air and ground assault and evacuation deals. After a six-week blitz the only remaining scrap of rebel-held territory centres on the main town of Douma, but Moscow-brokered talks over a possible evacuation have stalled as the group controlling it has pledged to stay put. Syria's army vowed it would now press on with "fighting in the area of Douma to rid it of terrorism", using the term it usually uses to refer to rebels. The announcement came shortly after state news agency SANA reported another rebel area was "empty of terrorism" as the last buses carrying rebels and civilians left it on Saturday afternoon as part of a deal to withdraw. More than 41,000 people have been bussed out of the southern pocket held by the Faylaq al-Rahman rebel group in over a week under the Russian-supervised agreement, according to a tally of state media figures. "It's a strategic victory against terror and a turning point" in the battle for Eastern Ghouta, an army officer told state television as soldiers around him celebrated. As of Saturday, regime forces supported by their Russian allies had retaken 95 percent of Eastern Ghouta, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The assault on Ghouta has killed more than 1,600 civilians since February 18 and seen tens of thousands more flee the fighting into regime-held areas, the Britain-based monitor says. Troops have pursued a divide-and-conquer strategy, seizing most of the enclave then breaking up what was left of it into three isolated pockets. In total, more than 45,500 people have left Eastern Ghouta under evacuation deals from the two first pockets. Now Jaish al-Islam are the only rebels left clinging on to their turf after the others were sent packing. The head of Jaish al-Islam's political office, Yasser Delwan, said late Saturday that talks over Douma's fate were ongoing. "But we still haven't reached an agreement," he said, however describing the atmosphere of the negotiations as "positive".On Friday, Russia's defence ministry said it had brokered a deal that would see rebels abandon Douma "shortly", but the fighters denied it immediately. Jaish al-Islam had been angling to reach a settlement with the Russians whereby they could stay. But negotiations faltered over the group's demands of a general amnesty and unrestricted movement for Douma residents across the country, a source with knowledge of the talks told AFP. Moscow threatened Jaish al-Islam with a renewed assault on the town if they did not agree to withdraw, and Syrian troops have amassed around the holdout. With the offensive on Eastern Ghouta, President Bashar al-Assad has sought to secure his capital Damascus, which was within mortar range of the rebel enclave. Last week, a rebel rocket attack on the capital killed 44 civilians. Assad's forces retaking Eastern Ghouta would be a considerable victory in Syria's seven-year war, which has killed more than 350,000 people and displaced millions. Syria's civil war started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests. Eastern Ghouta is the "beating heart of the rebellion near Assad's capital," said analyst Nick Heras, a fellow at the Center for a New American Security. "When Assad stops that heart from beating, he eliminates the greatest threat to his rule in Damascus."

Syria Army vows to finish off last rebels in Ghouta

Hundreds more Syrian rebels and civilians prepared Friday to leave Eastern Ghouta under a negotiated withdrawal, as Russia unilaterally announced a similar deal to empty the final pocket of the battered enclave.

The former rebel bastion on the outskirts of Damascus has been drained by a nearly six-week Syrian government assault and a pair of evacuation deals brokered by regime ally Moscow.

Under such agreements, rebels agree to hand over territory in exchange for safe passage for them and civilians to opposition zones in northwest Syria.

More than 36,000 people have already been bussed out of the enclave, and fresh evacuations were underway on Friday.

Around 1,000 people, a quarter of them fighters, were boarding buses in a pocket of Ghouta held by the Faylaq al-Rahman rebel faction, according to Syrian state media.

That agreement, reached last week, left the overpopulated, devastated town of Douma as the final rebel holdout in the region.

Russia's defence ministry on Friday said it had brokered a deal that would see rebels abandon Douma "shortly", but the fighters there quickly denied it.

"We categorically refuse leaving or being displaced," said Jaish al-Islam's spokesman Hamza Bayraqdar.&nbsp

"That's an essential demand of the negotiations. We have not reached an agreement yet," he told AFP, adding that talks were ongoing.&nbsp

Eastern Ghouta was the armed opposition's last stronghold around Damascus, which groups regularly targeted with rockets and mortar rounds.

Stalling talks&nbsp

To secure Damascus, President Bashar al-Assad launched a ferocious air and ground assault on February 18 to oust rebels from their perch in Ghouta.

More than 1,600 civilians have been killed in the onslaught, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.

Troops pursued a divide-and-conquer strategy, seizing most of the enclave then breaking up what was left of it into three isolated pockets.

Moscow stepped in and swiftly announced two withdrawal agreements with rebels, the first of which saw more than 4,500 fighters and civilians bussed out of the town of Harasta.

The second deal, reached with Faylaq al-Rahman one week ago, has seen more than 31,000 people quit the towns of Arbin and Zamalka and the Jobar district.&nbsp

In the first two deals, rebels caved in to Russia's "leave or die" approach but negotiations for the Douma pocket, held by Jaish al-Islam, has looked more arduous.

Douma's population has swelled to an estimated 200,000 with people displaced from other bombed-out districts. &nbsp

Jaish al-Islam had been in talks with Russia to reach a settlement whereby they could stay, instead of being bused out like other rebels.&nbsp

But negotiations faltered over the group's demands of a general amnesty and safe passage for Douma residents to move freely across the country, a source with knowledge of the talks told AFP.&nbsp

Moscow threatened Jaish al-Islam with a renewed blitz on the town if they did not agree to withdraw, and Syrian troops have amassed around the holdout.&nbsp

'Nearly wiped out'

The rebel movement have also come under growing pressure from Douma's residents, hundreds of whom have organised demonstrations demanding a status update on the talks.

On Thursday, Russia's foreign minister said Syrian forces had ousted nearly all rebels from Ghouta.&nbsp

"As a result of this anti-terrorism operation in Eastern Ghouta, terrorist elements have nearly been wiped out of this suburb of the Syrian capital," Sergei Lavrov said.&nbsp

Syria's state news agency SANA said around 29,000 civilians had fled Douma in recent days, using a "corridor" opened up by advancing Syrian troops.

SANA said a total of 143,000 people in total had streamed out of Ghouta along such corridors and as part of the evacuation deals.

It did not confirm the agreement with Jaish al-Islam, but its correspondent said "preliminary information" indicated a deal was close to being reached.&nbsp

The rebels evacuated so far were bussed to the northwestern province of Idlib and one of the sticking points in the Douma talks appears to be the destination.

"The problem with Jaish al-Islam is that it's quite big, very cohesive, very organised, but it doesn't go well with anyone else," said Thomas Pierret, an analyst at the National Center for Scientific Research in Paris.

The former rebel bastion on the outskirts of Damascus has been drained by a nearly six-week Syrian government assault and a pair of evacuation deals brokered by regime ally Moscow

Hundreds more Syrian rebels and civilians prepared Friday to leave Eastern Ghouta under a negotiated withdrawal, as Russia unilaterally announced a similar deal to empty the final pocket of the battered enclave. The former rebel bastion on the outskirts of Damascus has been drained by a nearly six-week Syrian government assault and a pair of evacuation deals brokered by regime ally Moscow. Under such agreements, rebels agree to hand over territory in exchange for safe passage for them and civilians to opposition zones in northwest Syria. More than 36,000 people have already been bussed out of the enclave, and fresh evacuations were underway on Friday. Around 1,000 people, a quarter of them fighters, were boarding buses in a pocket of Ghouta held by the Faylaq al-Rahman rebel faction, according to Syrian state media. That agreement, reached last week, left the overpopulated, devastated town of Douma as the final rebel holdout in the region. Russia's defence ministry on Friday said it had brokered a deal that would see rebels abandon Douma "shortly", but the fighters there quickly denied it. "We categorically refuse leaving or being displaced," said Jaish al-Islam's spokesman Hamza Bayraqdar. "That's an essential demand of the negotiations. We have not reached an agreement yet," he told AFP, adding that talks were ongoing. Eastern Ghouta was the armed opposition's last stronghold around Damascus, which groups regularly targeted with rockets and mortar rounds. Stalling talks To secure Damascus, President Bashar al-Assad launched a ferocious air and ground assault on February 18 to oust rebels from their perch in Ghouta. More than 1,600 civilians have been killed in the onslaught, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group. Troops pursued a divide-and-conquer strategy, seizing most of the enclave then breaking up what was left of it into three isolated pockets. Moscow stepped in and swiftly announced two withdrawal agreements with rebels, the first of which saw more than 4,500 fighters and civilians bussed out of the town of Harasta. The second deal, reached with Faylaq al-Rahman one week ago, has seen more than 31,000 people quit the towns of Arbin and Zamalka and the Jobar district. In the first two deals, rebels caved in to Russia's "leave or die" approach but negotiations for the Douma pocket, held by Jaish al-Islam, has looked more arduous. Douma's population has swelled to an estimated 200,000 with people displaced from other bombed-out districts. Jaish al-Islam had been in talks with Russia to reach a settlement whereby they could stay, instead of being bused out like other rebels. But negotiations faltered over the group's demands of a general amnesty and safe passage for Douma residents to move freely across the country, a source with knowledge of the talks told AFP. Moscow threatened Jaish al-Islam with a renewed blitz on the town if they did not agree to withdraw, and Syrian troops have amassed around the holdout. 'Nearly wiped out' The rebel movement have also come under growing pressure from Douma's residents, hundreds of whom have organised demonstrations demanding a status update on the talks. On Thursday, Russia's foreign minister said Syrian forces had ousted nearly all rebels from Ghouta. "As a result of this anti-terrorism operation in Eastern Ghouta, terrorist elements have nearly been wiped out of this suburb of the Syrian capital," Sergei Lavrov said. Syria's state news agency SANA said around 29,000 civilians had fled Douma in recent days, using a "corridor" opened up by advancing Syrian troops. SANA said a total of 143,000 people in total had streamed out of Ghouta along such corridors and as part of the evacuation deals. It did not confirm the agreement with Jaish al-Islam, but its correspondent said "preliminary information" indicated a deal was close to being reached. The rebels evacuated so far were bussed to the northwestern province of Idlib and one of the sticking points in the Douma talks appears to be the destination. "The problem with Jaish al-Islam is that it's quite big, very cohesive, very organised, but it doesn't go well with anyone else," said Thomas Pierret, an analyst at the National Center for Scientific Research in Paris.

Syrians quit Ghouta as talks for last pocket stutter

Syrian rebels and their families began leaving Syria&#39;s Eastern Ghouta on Thursday under the first evacuation deal in the shrinking opposition enclave outside Damascus.

The agreement announced on Wednesday and brokered by regime ally Russia, could empty one of three rebel-held pockets in the region and mark a major advance in government efforts to secure the nearby capital.

It could also increase pressure on rebels to follow suit in the two other opposition-held pockets of the besieged enclave, where tens of thousands of civilians remain trapped under relentless bombardment.

State television said around 1,824 people -- including 319 fighters -- had boarded buses from the Eastern Ghouta town of Harasta until now held by the Ahrar al-Sham rebel group.&nbsp;

A military source said that the rebels and accompanying civilians had boarded buses and were in a buffer zone, waiting to cross into regime-controlled territory.

Another military source said around 2,000 people are expected to leave in total, including around 700 fighters on Thursday.

Ahrar al-Sham spokesman Munzer Fares said the evacuations could last several days.&nbsp;

They followed renewed air strikes in Ghouta early on Thursday which killed 20 civilians, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.&nbsp;

Since February 18, a devastating Russian-backed offensive on Eastern Ghouta has sliced the shrinking enclave into three isolated pockets.

Rebels cut off

Central Damascus lies within mortar range of Eastern Ghouta, and the evacuation deal came after the deadliest rebel rocket attack on the capital in months killed 44 civilians on Tuesday.

Rebel fire on Thursday killed four people in Damascus, state television said.

The regime&#39;s offensive on Ghouta has killed more than 1,500 civilians since February 18, according to Observatory.

The rebels and their families will be transported to the northwestern province of Idlib, which is held by a myriad of jihadist, Islamist and secular groups, many with links to Turkey.

The evacuation from Harasta will further isolate the rebel groups that control the remaining two pockets of Eastern Ghouta and pile pressure on them to accept similar deals.

Syrian Reconciliation Minister Ali Haidar told AFP that Ahrar al-Sham had negotiated with the Russian Centre for Reconciliation and that Damascus was not directly involved.

Nawar Oliver, an analyst at the Turkey-based Omran Centre, said fighters in Harasta &quot;were not able to impose a single one of their conditions&quot;.

&#39;Tragic&#39; conditions

Opposition figures in Ghouta said talks were underway for a deal to evacuate rebels from the enclave&#39;s main town, Douma.

Douma is controlled by the Jaish al-Islam group, while a pocket of territory around the town of Zamalka, closer to the capital, is held by Faylaq al-Rahman with a small jihadist presence.

Air strikes on Zamalka killed 16 civilians on Thursday, the Observatory said.

An AFP reporter in Douma said hundreds of civilians were fleeing the town.

Similar evacuation deals have seen the government retake a string of former rebel bastions.

A May 2014 deal saw rebels pull out of the third city Homs, once labelled the &quot;capital of the revolution&quot; that sparked Syria&#39;s seven-year civil war.

In December 2016, the army retook the whole of the second city Aleppo as rebels withdrew in one of their worst defeats of the war.

Those agreements also followed devastating bombardments that took a heavy toll on trapped civilians.

The assault on Ghouta has sparked a mass exodus of civilians from the shrinking rebel enclave.

Some 50,000 people have reached shelters in the government-controlled territory in the past week, according to the United Nations.

On Wednesday, the UN&#39;s humanitarian coordinator in Syria said those displaced were living in &quot;tragic&quot; conditions.

&quot;People may have escaped fighting, fear and insecurity but they find themselves in a place without anywhere to wash themselves,&quot; Ali al-Zaatari said.

Syrian rebels and their families began leaving Syria's Eastern Ghouta on Thursday under the first evacuation deal in the shrinking opposition enclave outside Damascus

Syrian rebels and their families began leaving Syria's Eastern Ghouta on Thursday under the first evacuation deal in the shrinking opposition enclave outside Damascus. The agreement announced on Wednesday and brokered by regime ally Russia, could empty one of three rebel-held pockets in the region and mark a major advance in government efforts to secure the nearby capital. It could also increase pressure on rebels to follow suit in the two other opposition-held pockets of the besieged enclave, where tens of thousands of civilians remain trapped under relentless bombardment. State television said around 1,824 people -- including 319 fighters -- had boarded buses from the Eastern Ghouta town of Harasta until now held by the Ahrar al-Sham rebel group. A military source said that the rebels and accompanying civilians had boarded buses and were in a buffer zone, waiting to cross into regime-controlled territory. Another military source said around 2,000 people are expected to leave in total, including around 700 fighters on Thursday. Ahrar al-Sham spokesman Munzer Fares said the evacuations could last several days. They followed renewed air strikes in Ghouta early on Thursday which killed 20 civilians, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Since February 18, a devastating Russian-backed offensive on Eastern Ghouta has sliced the shrinking enclave into three isolated pockets. Rebels cut off Central Damascus lies within mortar range of Eastern Ghouta, and the evacuation deal came after the deadliest rebel rocket attack on the capital in months killed 44 civilians on Tuesday. Rebel fire on Thursday killed four people in Damascus, state television said. The regime's offensive on Ghouta has killed more than 1,500 civilians since February 18, according to Observatory. The rebels and their families will be transported to the northwestern province of Idlib, which is held by a myriad of jihadist, Islamist and secular groups, many with links to Turkey. The evacuation from Harasta will further isolate the rebel groups that control the remaining two pockets of Eastern Ghouta and pile pressure on them to accept similar deals. Syrian Reconciliation Minister Ali Haidar told AFP that Ahrar al-Sham had negotiated with the Russian Centre for Reconciliation and that Damascus was not directly involved. Nawar Oliver, an analyst at the Turkey-based Omran Centre, said fighters in Harasta "were not able to impose a single one of their conditions". 'Tragic' conditions Opposition figures in Ghouta said talks were underway for a deal to evacuate rebels from the enclave's main town, Douma. Douma is controlled by the Jaish al-Islam group, while a pocket of territory around the town of Zamalka, closer to the capital, is held by Faylaq al-Rahman with a small jihadist presence. Air strikes on Zamalka killed 16 civilians on Thursday, the Observatory said. An AFP reporter in Douma said hundreds of civilians were fleeing the town. Similar evacuation deals have seen the government retake a string of former rebel bastions. A May 2014 deal saw rebels pull out of the third city Homs, once labelled the "capital of the revolution" that sparked Syria's seven-year civil war. In December 2016, the army retook the whole of the second city Aleppo as rebels withdrew in one of their worst defeats of the war. Those agreements also followed devastating bombardments that took a heavy toll on trapped civilians. The assault on Ghouta has sparked a mass exodus of civilians from the shrinking rebel enclave. Some 50,000 people have reached shelters in the government-controlled territory in the past week, according to the United Nations. On Wednesday, the UN's humanitarian coordinator in Syria said those displaced were living in "tragic" conditions. "People may have escaped fighting, fear and insecurity but they find themselves in a place without anywhere to wash themselves," Ali al-Zaatari said.

First rebels quit Syria enclave under Russia-brokered deal

Warplanes pounded Syria&#39;s Eastern Ghouta on Friday as Islamist groups tried to resist an advance by Russian-backed regime forces and civilians looked for cracks through which to flee the five-year-old siege.

At least 57 civilians were killed as the toll for the month-old assault near Damascus continued to mount and world powers remained unable to stop one of the seven-year conflict&#39;s worst crises.

The war entered its eighth year with another deadly assault unfolding in the north, where Turkish-led forces pressed an operation to seize the Kurdish-majority region of Afrin, sending thousands more civilians on to the roads.

Turkish artillery fire killed 18 civilians on Friday in the city of Afrin, where remaining residents were stocking up on food in preparation for a fully-fledged siege.

On the edge of Ghouta, a sprawling semi-rural area within mortar range of central Damascus, hundreds of civilians were still streaming out of destroyed towns, carrying scant belongings in bags and bundles.

Exhausted and distraught, the estimated 12,000 people who poured out of Ghouta on Thursday had harrowing tales of life in fear and deprivation, trapped for weeks in their cellars as regime and Russian jets rained bombs.

&quot;We were around 66 families in the basement, with seven people per family,&quot; Hussein Samid said, pausing on the roadside to smoke a cigarette.

&quot;Those of us who were in the cellar got together and decided to leave, whatever the cost,&quot; the 40-year-old said.

Exodus

Hundreds of them were crammed in a centre on the edge of Eastern Ghouta on Friday, unsure what the next step would be after walking straight into the arms of the forces that have relentlessly pounded their homes for weeks.

They were sitting on the ground and had little access to sanitation as the sudden exodus appeared to have caught the government flat-footed.

Despite mild temperatures, most of them were wearing several layers of heavy winter clothes, the same they had kept on for weeks in their freezing basements.

The ground offensive pressed by Syrian troops and allied militia has splintered Eastern Ghouta into three pockets.

Most of the civilians fleeing since Thursday have left from the town of Hammuriyeh, in the south of Eastern Ghouta.

The Islamist and jihadist groups which have dominated this area of the enclave over the past few years retook much of the town they had almost lost a day earlier, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

&quot;Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Faylaq al-Rahman have almost completely retaken the town but fighting continues on the outskirts,&quot; the Britain-based monitoring group said.

Few residents remain in Hammuriyeh itself but tens of thousands of others were still scattered across the southwestern pocket, the largest of three still in rebel hands.

President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer, who was inside rebel-held Ghouta on Thursday when food aid was brought in, voiced his exasperation with the continued bloodshed.

&quot;I am myself with many humanitarian workers on the ground both exhausted and fed up with the blind justification of gross violations against civilians,&quot; he said in a statement.

Afrin encircled 

The Observatory said at least 57 civilians were killed in Russian air strikes on Kfar Batna and Saqba, in the southwestern Ghouta pocket on Friday.

The latest deaths brought to more than 1,300 the number of civilians killed since the start of the ground and air offensive on the enclave on February 18, around a fifth of them children.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has in recent months recovered swathes of territory lost at the beginning of the conflict and Ghouta was one of his key remaining targets.

No deal has been reached with the rebel fighters inside Ghouta, some of whom are jihadists and ex-members of a former Al-Qaeda affiliate.

An exodus of similar proportions was under way hundreds of kilometres (miles) to the north near the border with Turkey, as civilians tried to escape a looming siege of the city of Afrin.

The Observatory said on Thursday that more than 30,000 people had fled the city of Afrin in 24 hours and civilians were still trying to slip out on Friday before Turkish-led forces cut the last exit road.

&quot;Since midnight (2200 GMT Thursday), 18 civilians, including five children, were killed by Turkish artillery fire on the city of Afrin,&quot; it said.

On January 20, Turkey and Syrian Arab rebel proxies launched an air and ground offensive on the Afrin region, which is controlled by the US-backed Kurdish People&#39;s Protection Units (YPG).

Ankara has consistently denied targeting civilian infrastructure but the Observatory said at least 245 civilians, including 41 children, have been killed in less than two months.

In seven years, more than half of Syria&#39;s pre-war population of 20 million has been displaced.

At least 57 civilians were killed as the toll for the month-old assault near Damascus continued to mount and world powers remained unable to stop one of the seven-year conflict's worst crises

Warplanes pounded Syria's Eastern Ghouta on Friday as Islamist groups tried to resist an advance by Russian-backed regime forces and civilians looked for cracks through which to flee the five-year-old siege. At least 57 civilians were killed as the toll for the month-old assault near Damascus continued to mount and world powers remained unable to stop one of the seven-year conflict's worst crises. The war entered its eighth year with another deadly assault unfolding in the north, where Turkish-led forces pressed an operation to seize the Kurdish-majority region of Afrin, sending thousands more civilians on to the roads. Turkish artillery fire killed 18 civilians on Friday in the city of Afrin, where remaining residents were stocking up on food in preparation for a fully-fledged siege. On the edge of Ghouta, a sprawling semi-rural area within mortar range of central Damascus, hundreds of civilians were still streaming out of destroyed towns, carrying scant belongings in bags and bundles. Exhausted and distraught, the estimated 12,000 people who poured out of Ghouta on Thursday had harrowing tales of life in fear and deprivation, trapped for weeks in their cellars as regime and Russian jets rained bombs. "We were around 66 families in the basement, with seven people per family," Hussein Samid said, pausing on the roadside to smoke a cigarette. "Those of us who were in the cellar got together and decided to leave, whatever the cost," the 40-year-old said. Exodus Hundreds of them were crammed in a centre on the edge of Eastern Ghouta on Friday, unsure what the next step would be after walking straight into the arms of the forces that have relentlessly pounded their homes for weeks. They were sitting on the ground and had little access to sanitation as the sudden exodus appeared to have caught the government flat-footed. Despite mild temperatures, most of them were wearing several layers of heavy winter clothes, the same they had kept on for weeks in their freezing basements. The ground offensive pressed by Syrian troops and allied militia has splintered Eastern Ghouta into three pockets. Most of the civilians fleeing since Thursday have left from the town of Hammuriyeh, in the south of Eastern Ghouta. The Islamist and jihadist groups which have dominated this area of the enclave over the past few years retook much of the town they had almost lost a day earlier, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Faylaq al-Rahman have almost completely retaken the town but fighting continues on the outskirts," the Britain-based monitoring group said. Few residents remain in Hammuriyeh itself but tens of thousands of others were still scattered across the southwestern pocket, the largest of three still in rebel hands. President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer, who was inside rebel-held Ghouta on Thursday when food aid was brought in, voiced his exasperation with the continued bloodshed. "I am myself with many humanitarian workers on the ground both exhausted and fed up with the blind justification of gross violations against civilians," he said in a statement. Afrin encircled The Observatory said at least 57 civilians were killed in Russian air strikes on Kfar Batna and Saqba, in the southwestern Ghouta pocket on Friday. The latest deaths brought to more than 1,300 the number of civilians killed since the start of the ground and air offensive on the enclave on February 18, around a fifth of them children. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has in recent months recovered swathes of territory lost at the beginning of the conflict and Ghouta was one of his key remaining targets. No deal has been reached with the rebel fighters inside Ghouta, some of whom are jihadists and ex-members of a former Al-Qaeda affiliate. An exodus of similar proportions was under way hundreds of kilometres (miles) to the north near the border with Turkey, as civilians tried to escape a looming siege of the city of Afrin. The Observatory said on Thursday that more than 30,000 people had fled the city of Afrin in 24 hours and civilians were still trying to slip out on Friday before Turkish-led forces cut the last exit road. "Since midnight (2200 GMT Thursday), 18 civilians, including five children, were killed by Turkish artillery fire on the city of Afrin," it said. On January 20, Turkey and Syrian Arab rebel proxies launched an air and ground offensive on the Afrin region, which is controlled by the US-backed Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). Ankara has consistently denied targeting civilian infrastructure but the Observatory said at least 245 civilians, including 41 children, have been killed in less than two months. In seven years, more than half of Syria's pre-war population of 20 million has been displaced.

Death and exodus as two Syria assaults escalate

Syrian government forces pounded eastern Ghouta with air strikes on Wednesday in an effort to slice the rebel enclave in two as they intensified a campaign to deal the opposition its biggest defeat since 2016.

The Syrian government assault of the densely populated area on the outskirts of Damascus, which began more than two weeks ago, has become one of the fiercest campaigns of the war now entering its eighth year, with bombardment killing hundreds.

Live footage broadcast by Syrian state TV from the outskirts of the town of Mesraba showed enormous clouds of smoke rising into the sky. The sounds of explosions and jets could be heard.

A state TV correspondent said militant defences in the town were being struck by &quot;preparatory fire&quot; in advance of a planned infantry assault. &quot;Mesraba is under heavy attack today,&quot; said Khalil Aybour, a member of an opposition council in Ghouta.

Capturing Mesraba would be a major step towards severing the northern half of the Ghouta, including its biggest town, Douma, from the southern part. Government forces have seized more than 40 percent of the territory so far.

Civilians have been fleeing frontline areas into Douma and hiding in cellars.

&quot;It&#39;s bad in the basement, but it&#39;s better than the bombing,&quot; Adnan, 30, a Douma resident who has been sheltering below ground with his wife and two-year-old daughter together with 10 other families, told Reuters by telephone.

The United Nations says 400,000 people are trapped in the towns and villages of the eastern Ghouta, under government siege for years and already running out of food and medicine before the assault. An aid convoy reached the area this week but government officials had stripped out most medical supplies.

Russia, President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s most powerful ally, has offered rebel fighters safe passage out with their families and personal weapons. The proposal echoes previous agreements under which insurgents, in the face of military defeat, were permitted to withdraw to opposition-held areas at the Turkish border.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group says 800 civilians have been killed by government bombing and shelling. The Observatory said an extra 700 pro-government militia fighters had arrived at the front as reinforcements to join the operation.

The U.N. Security Council has called for a 30-day countrywide ceasefire, but Moscow and Damascus have not halted the campaign, arguing that the fighters they are striking are members of banned terrorist groups unprotected by the truce.

Russia&#39;s defence ministry said on Wednesday some rebels wanted to accept the proposal to evacuate. So far rebels have dismissed it in public. The military spokesman for one of the main eastern Ghouta rebel groups said rebels would defend the territory and there were no negotiations over a withdrawal.

&quot;The factions of Ghouta and their fighters and its people are holding onto their land and will defend it,&quot; Hamza Birqdar of Jaish al-Islam told Reuters in a text message sent overnight.

The opposition says such evacuation agreements amount to a policy of demographic change by which Assad has forcibly displaced those who oppose him.

In an interview on state TV, a Syrian army colonel expressed confidence Ghouta would fall quickly, saying the people there would return to the &quot;state&#39;s embrace&quot; &quot;very, very, very soon&quot;.

A commander in the military alliance fighting in support of Assad said he anticipated that rebels would end up besieged in Douma and then accept a withdrawal deal.

Assad said this week that the majority of people in eastern Ghouta want a return of state rule. But rebels and opposition activists say people fear government persecution.

COMPLICITY

Russian warplanes have taken part in the eastern Ghouta operation, and the White House has accused Russia of complicity in the killing of civilians there.

Defeat in eastern Ghouta would mark the biggest setback for the anti-Assad rebellion since the opposition was driven from eastern Aleppo in late 2016 after a similar campaign of siege, bombing, ground assaults and the promise of safe passage out.

Moscow and Damascus say the Ghouta campaign is necessary to halt rebel shelling of the capital. The Observatory says such shelling has killed at least 27 people since Feb. 18, and Syrian state media have given a higher death toll.

Assad has steadily recovered rebel-held areas in western Syria since Russia intervened directly on his side in 2015.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday voiced concern about attacks in eastern Ghouta which &quot;reportedly claimed the lives of more than 100 people&quot; on Monday alone, as well as reports of shelling of Damascus.

Western states have been demanding Russia press Assad to abide by the 30-day ceasefire. The Security Council, where Russia holds a veto, will meet on Wednesday to discuss the failed ceasefire.

The U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra&#39;ad al-Hussein said the government offensive could not be justified by its targetting of a few hundred fighters.

&quot;Recent attempts to justify indiscriminate, brutal attacks on hundreds of thousands of civilians by the need to combat a few hundred fighters &ndash; as in Eastern Ghouta &ndash; are legally, and morally, unsustainable,&quot; he told the U.N. Human Rights Council.

&quot;Also, when you are prepared to kill your own people so easily, lying is easy too. Claims by the Government of Syria that it is taking every measure to protect its civilian population are frankly ridiculous.&quot;

Live footage broadcast by Syrian state TV from the outskirts of the town of Mesraba showed enormous clouds of smoke rising into the sky. The sounds of explosions and jets could be heard

Syrian government forces pounded eastern Ghouta with air strikes on Wednesday in an effort to slice the rebel enclave in two as they intensified a campaign to deal the opposition its biggest defeat since 2016. The Syrian government assault of the densely populated area on the outskirts of Damascus, which began more than two weeks ago, has become one of the fiercest campaigns of the war now entering its eighth year, with bombardment killing hundreds. Live footage broadcast by Syrian state TV from the outskirts of the town of Mesraba showed enormous clouds of smoke rising into the sky. The sounds of explosions and jets could be heard. A state TV correspondent said militant defences in the town were being struck by "preparatory fire" in advance of a planned infantry assault. "Mesraba is under heavy attack today," said Khalil Aybour, a member of an opposition council in Ghouta. Capturing Mesraba would be a major step towards severing the northern half of the Ghouta, including its biggest town, Douma, from the southern part. Government forces have seized more than 40 percent of the territory so far. Civilians have been fleeing frontline areas into Douma and hiding in cellars. "It's bad in the basement, but it's better than the bombing," Adnan, 30, a Douma resident who has been sheltering below ground with his wife and two-year-old daughter together with 10 other families, told Reuters by telephone. The United Nations says 400,000 people are trapped in the towns and villages of the eastern Ghouta, under government siege for years and already running out of food and medicine before the assault. An aid convoy reached the area this week but government officials had stripped out most medical supplies. Russia, President Bashar al-Assad's most powerful ally, has offered rebel fighters safe passage out with their families and personal weapons. The proposal echoes previous agreements under which insurgents, in the face of military defeat, were permitted to withdraw to opposition-held areas at the Turkish border. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group says 800 civilians have been killed by government bombing and shelling. The Observatory said an extra 700 pro-government militia fighters had arrived at the front as reinforcements to join the operation. The U.N. Security Council has called for a 30-day countrywide ceasefire, but Moscow and Damascus have not halted the campaign, arguing that the fighters they are striking are members of banned terrorist groups unprotected by the truce. Russia's defence ministry said on Wednesday some rebels wanted to accept the proposal to evacuate. So far rebels have dismissed it in public. The military spokesman for one of the main eastern Ghouta rebel groups said rebels would defend the territory and there were no negotiations over a withdrawal. "The factions of Ghouta and their fighters and its people are holding onto their land and will defend it," Hamza Birqdar of Jaish al-Islam told Reuters in a text message sent overnight. The opposition says such evacuation agreements amount to a policy of demographic change by which Assad has forcibly displaced those who oppose him. In an interview on state TV, a Syrian army colonel expressed confidence Ghouta would fall quickly, saying the people there would return to the "state's embrace" "very, very, very soon". A commander in the military alliance fighting in support of Assad said he anticipated that rebels would end up besieged in Douma and then accept a withdrawal deal. Assad said this week that the majority of people in eastern Ghouta want a return of state rule. But rebels and opposition activists say people fear government persecution. COMPLICITY Russian warplanes have taken part in the eastern Ghouta operation, and the White House has accused Russia of complicity in the killing of civilians there. Defeat in eastern Ghouta would mark the biggest setback for the anti-Assad rebellion since the opposition was driven from eastern Aleppo in late 2016 after a similar campaign of siege, bombing, ground assaults and the promise of safe passage out. Moscow and Damascus say the Ghouta campaign is necessary to halt rebel shelling of the capital. The Observatory says such shelling has killed at least 27 people since Feb. 18, and Syrian state media have given a higher death toll. Assad has steadily recovered rebel-held areas in western Syria since Russia intervened directly on his side in 2015. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday voiced concern about attacks in eastern Ghouta which "reportedly claimed the lives of more than 100 people" on Monday alone, as well as reports of shelling of Damascus. Western states have been demanding Russia press Assad to abide by the 30-day ceasefire. The Security Council, where Russia holds a veto, will meet on Wednesday to discuss the failed ceasefire. The U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein said the government offensive could not be justified by its targetting of a few hundred fighters. "Recent attempts to justify indiscriminate, brutal attacks on hundreds of thousands of civilians by the need to combat a few hundred fighters – as in Eastern Ghouta – are legally, and morally, unsustainable," he told the U.N. Human Rights Council. "Also, when you are prepared to kill your own people so easily, lying is easy too. Claims by the Government of Syria that it is taking every measure to protect its civilian population are frankly ridiculous."

Damascus intensifies Ghouta assault to try and cut rebel enclave in half

US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel believe that the Syrian regime must take the accountability for the East Ghouta attacks.&nbsp;

The two leaders noted on Friday that Bashar al-Assad&#39;s regime must be held accountable for the humanitarian crisis in the rebel-held enclave.

&quot;This applies both to the Assad regime&#39;s deployment of chemical weapons and for its attacks against civilians and the blockade of humanitarian support,&quot; the leaders noted the statement released by Merkel&#39;s office.

According to reports, apart from the ongoing unrest in Syria, Merkel and Trump also discussed Russia&#39;s recent announcement of new weapons systems and its possible repercussions.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The two leaders noted on Friday that Bashar al-Assad's regime must be held accountable for the humanitarian crisis in the rebel-held enclave

US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel believe that the Syrian regime must take the accountability for the East Ghouta attacks. The two leaders noted on Friday that Bashar al-Assad's regime must be held accountable for the humanitarian crisis in the rebel-held enclave. "This applies both to the Assad regime's deployment of chemical weapons and for its attacks against civilians and the blockade of humanitarian support," the leaders noted the statement released by Merkel's office. According to reports, apart from the ongoing unrest in Syria, Merkel and Trump also discussed Russia's recent announcement of new weapons systems and its possible repercussions. (With inputs from agencies)

Syrian regime must be held accountable for Ghouta attacks: Merkel, Trump

Russia said on Monday it would establish an evacuation corridor and implement a five-hour daily truce to allow people to leave Syria&#39;s eastern Ghouta, after a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding a 30-day ceasefire across the entire country.

It appeared to make no mention, however, of allowing relief supplies to enter the territory, where 400,000 people are living under siege and bombardment.

Over the past week, Syria&#39;s army and its allies have subjected the rebel-held enclave near Damascus to one of the heaviest bombardments of the seven-year war, killing hundreds.

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On Sunday, health authorities there said several people had symptoms consistent with chlorine gas exposure. On Monday, rescue workers and a monitoring group said seven small children had been killed by air and artillery strikes in one town.

&quot;Eastern Ghouta cannot wait, it is high time to stop this hell on earth,&quot; U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, calling for implementation of the ceasefire.

Fighting has raged across Syria since Saturday&#39;s resolution, as Turkey presses its offensive against a Kurdish militia in Afrin, rival rebel groups fight each other in Idlib and a U.S.-led coalition targets Islamic State in the east..

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu was cited by the RIA news agency as saying President Vladimir Putin had ordered a ceasefire in eastern Ghouta from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day, and the creation of a &quot;humanitarian corridor&quot;.

RED CROSS CALLS FOR MORE

Major-General Yuri Yevtushenko, head of the Russian peace and reconciliation centre in Syria, said the measures, decided in agreement with Syrian forces, were intended to help civilians leave and to evacuate the sick and wounded.

RIA&#39;s report of his remarks made no direct mention of letting relief supplies in, but quoted Yevtushenko accusing militants of &quot;holding hundreds hostage, including women and children, and victimising residents, refusing to allow them to leave&quot;.

The International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva said it welcomed any measure that allowed &quot;those who wish to leave to do so, of their free will&quot;, as well as medical evacuations.

But spokeswoman Iolanda Jaquemet said much more was required: &quot;The need remains for humanitarian convoys to move in with vital supplies: medicines, medical supplies, food, material to purify the water. This is a place with up to 400,000 people and humanitarian needs are huge.&quot;

Linda Tom, a U.N. humanitarian spokeswoman in Damascus, called for the Council resolution to be fully implemented &quot;so that the U.N. and its partners can deliver humanitarian assistance to those in need, particularly to those in eastern Ghouta&quot;.

She said at least 30 people had been killed in Ghouta in the previous 48 hours.

Russia, along with Iran and Shi&#39;ite militias, is a major backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and it joined the war on his side in 2015, helping him claw back important areas.

Mohamad Alloush, political chief of one of eastern Ghouta&#39;s biggest rebel factions, said the Syrian army and its allies had launched &quot;a sweeping ground assault&quot; after the U.N. resolution.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said allegations that the Syrian government was responsible for any chemical attack were aimed at sabotaging the truce.

The Syrian government has consistently denied using chemical weapons in the war, which will soon enter its eighth year having killed hundreds of thousands of people and forced half of Syria&#39;s pre-war population of about 23 million from their homes.

DEAD CHILDREN

A picture issued by Civil Defence rescue workers, which Reuters could not independently verify, showed seven small bodies lying beside each other, wrapped in white and blue sheets, after air and artillery strikes on the town of Douma in eastern Ghouta.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, said four of them were among a single family of nine killed by an air strike. The other three were among seven killed by shelling in the same town, it said.

The bombardment of eastern Ghouta over the past week has been one of the heaviest of the war, killing at least 556 people in eight days, according to the Syrian Observatory.

It said the intensity of the bombardment had diminished since the U.N. resolution, but that 21 people had been killed in eastern Ghouta on Monday.

Rebel shelling has caused 36 deaths and a number of injuries in Damascus and nearby rural areas in the last four days, Zaher Hajjo, a government health official, told Reuters.

The deputy director general of the World Health Organisation, Peter Salama, said the WHO urgently needed to evacuate 750 medical cases from eastern Ghouta, as well as &quot;sustained access for medical equipment and for medical drugs and commodities&quot;.

RELATIVE LULL

In eastern Ghouta, people were using the relative lull to find provisions, said Moayad Hafi, a rescue worker based there.

&quot;Civilians rushed from their shelters to get food and return quickly since the warplanes are still in the sky and can hit at any moment,&quot; he told Reuters in a voice message.

Lavrov said the ceasefire would not cover either the Ahrar al-Sham or the Jaish al-Islam factions, describing them as partners of the former al Qaeda affiliate the Nusra Front.

The two major rebel factions in eastern Ghouta are Jaish al-Islam and Failaq al-Rahman. Tahrir al-Sham, an alliance of jihadists including Nusra, also has a small presence there.

In Idlib, Ahrar al-Sham and Tahrir al-Sham have been fighting each other in recent days, rather than cooperating.

Syrian state television reported that army units had advanced against militants near Harasta in eastern Ghouta. The state news agency SANA also reported that the army had stopped a car bomb being driven into Damascus.

The Nusra Front has consistently been excluded from ceasefires in Syria, and the opposition says the government has used this as an excuse to keep up its bombardments.

Over the past week, Syria's army and its allies have subjected the rebel-held enclave near Damascus to one of the heaviest bombardments of the seven-year war, killing hundreds

Russia said on Monday it would establish an evacuation corridor and implement a five-hour daily truce to allow people to leave Syria's eastern Ghouta, after a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding a 30-day ceasefire across the entire country. It appeared to make no mention, however, of allowing relief supplies to enter the territory, where 400,000 people are living under siege and bombardment. Over the past week, Syria's army and its allies have subjected the rebel-held enclave near Damascus to one of the heaviest bombardments of the seven-year war, killing hundreds. Eastern Ghouta cannot wait, it is high time to stop this hell on earth,' UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, calling for implementation of a ceasefire × On Sunday, health authorities there said several people had symptoms consistent with chlorine gas exposure. On Monday, rescue workers and a monitoring group said seven small children had been killed by air and artillery strikes in one town. "Eastern Ghouta cannot wait, it is high time to stop this hell on earth," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, calling for implementation of the ceasefire. Fighting has raged across Syria since Saturday's resolution, as Turkey presses its offensive against a Kurdish militia in Afrin, rival rebel groups fight each other in Idlib and a U.S.-led coalition targets Islamic State in the east.. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu was cited by the RIA news agency as saying President Vladimir Putin had ordered a ceasefire in eastern Ghouta from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day, and the creation of a "humanitarian corridor". RED CROSS CALLS FOR MORE Major-General Yuri Yevtushenko, head of the Russian peace and reconciliation centre in Syria, said the measures, decided in agreement with Syrian forces, were intended to help civilians leave and to evacuate the sick and wounded. RIA's report of his remarks made no direct mention of letting relief supplies in, but quoted Yevtushenko accusing militants of "holding hundreds hostage, including women and children, and victimising residents, refusing to allow them to leave". The International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva said it welcomed any measure that allowed "those who wish to leave to do so, of their free will", as well as medical evacuations. But spokeswoman Iolanda Jaquemet said much more was required: "The need remains for humanitarian convoys to move in with vital supplies: medicines, medical supplies, food, material to purify the water. This is a place with up to 400,000 people and humanitarian needs are huge." Linda Tom, a U.N. humanitarian spokeswoman in Damascus, called for the Council resolution to be fully implemented "so that the U.N. and its partners can deliver humanitarian assistance to those in need, particularly to those in eastern Ghouta". She said at least 30 people had been killed in Ghouta in the previous 48 hours. Russia, along with Iran and Shi'ite militias, is a major backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and it joined the war on his side in 2015, helping him claw back important areas. Mohamad Alloush, political chief of one of eastern Ghouta's biggest rebel factions, said the Syrian army and its allies had launched "a sweeping ground assault" after the U.N. resolution. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said allegations that the Syrian government was responsible for any chemical attack were aimed at sabotaging the truce. The Syrian government has consistently denied using chemical weapons in the war, which will soon enter its eighth year having killed hundreds of thousands of people and forced half of Syria's pre-war population of about 23 million from their homes. DEAD CHILDREN A picture issued by Civil Defence rescue workers, which Reuters could not independently verify, showed seven small bodies lying beside each other, wrapped in white and blue sheets, after air and artillery strikes on the town of Douma in eastern Ghouta. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, said four of them were among a single family of nine killed by an air strike. The other three were among seven killed by shelling in the same town, it said. The bombardment of eastern Ghouta over the past week has been one of the heaviest of the war, killing at least 556 people in eight days, according to the Syrian Observatory. It said the intensity of the bombardment had diminished since the U.N. resolution, but that 21 people had been killed in eastern Ghouta on Monday. Rebel shelling has caused 36 deaths and a number of injuries in Damascus and nearby rural areas in the last four days, Zaher Hajjo, a government health official, told Reuters. The deputy director general of the World Health Organisation, Peter Salama, said the WHO urgently needed to evacuate 750 medical cases from eastern Ghouta, as well as "sustained access for medical equipment and for medical drugs and commodities". RELATIVE LULL In eastern Ghouta, people were using the relative lull to find provisions, said Moayad Hafi, a rescue worker based there. "Civilians rushed from their shelters to get food and return quickly since the warplanes are still in the sky and can hit at any moment," he told Reuters in a voice message. Lavrov said the ceasefire would not cover either the Ahrar al-Sham or the Jaish al-Islam factions, describing them as partners of the former al Qaeda affiliate the Nusra Front. The two major rebel factions in eastern Ghouta are Jaish al-Islam and Failaq al-Rahman. Tahrir al-Sham, an alliance of jihadists including Nusra, also has a small presence there. In Idlib, Ahrar al-Sham and Tahrir al-Sham have been fighting each other in recent days, rather than cooperating. Syrian state television reported that army units had advanced against militants near Harasta in eastern Ghouta. The state news agency SANA also reported that the army had stopped a car bomb being driven into Damascus. The Nusra Front has consistently been excluded from ceasefires in Syria, and the opposition says the government has used this as an excuse to keep up its bombardments.

Syria's Ghouta: Russia orders daily 5-hour truce

New air strikes on the Syrian rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta on Saturday took the civilian death toll from seven days of devastating bombardment to more than 500 after the United Nations again delayed a vote on a ceasefire. 
 
A total of 127 children figure among the 510 dead in the bombing campaign that the regime launched last Sunday on the enclave just outside Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. 
 
The Britain-based monitor of the war said at least 32 civilians were killed in Saturday&#39;s strikes, including eight children. A night of heavy bombardment sparked fires in residential districts, it said. 
 
The Observatory has said the air strikes are being carried out by Syrian and Russian forces. Moscow, which intervened militarily in support of its Damascus ally in 2015, has denied any direct involvement in the Eastern Ghouta bombardment. 
 
US President Donald Trump on Friday said Russia&#39;s recent actions in Syria were a &quot;disgrace&quot;.

The UN Security Council on Friday&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/un-security-council-to-vote-on-syria-ceasefire-today-33806">delayed to 19:30 GMT</a>&nbsp;a vote on a draft resolution demanding a 30-day ceasefire in Syria, diplomats said.

Negotiations were continuing to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/russia-blocks-un-resolution-on-ceasefire-in-syria-33759">avoid a Russia veto of the text&nbsp;</a>that would establish a truce to allow humanitarian aid deliveries and medical evacuations.

Turkey urged the international community to end the bloodshed in Eastern Ghouta. &quot;The world should say stop to this massacre,&quot; Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan&#39;s spokesman said on Twitter. 
 
Control of Eastern Ghouta is shared between two main Islamist factions, while Syria&#39;s former Al-Qaeda affiliate is also present, and Russia insists there can be no ceasefire with the jihadists or their allies. 
 
Russia has been pressing for a negotiated withdrawal of rebel fighters and their families like the one that saw the government retake full control of second city Aleppo in December 2016. But all three rebel groups have refused.

During a council meeting called by Russia, Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia presented a new raft of amendments to a draft resolution that would allow deliveries of humanitarian aid and medical evacuations during the pause.

Negotiations on the draft presented by Sweden and Kuwait on February 9 have dragged on as hundreds of Syrians have died in a fierce government air campaign in the rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta.

World leaders have expressed outrage at the plight of civilians in Eastern Ghouta, which UN chief Antonio Guterres called &quot;hell on earth&quot;, but have so far been powerless to halt the bloodshed. 
 
The enclave is completely surrounded by government-controlled territory and its 400,000 residents are unwilling or unable to flee the deadly siege. 
 
In one of the many unfolding dramas at a Douma field hospital, a young woman amputated from the knee breastfed a 40-day-old infant who had lost his entire family in the bombings. 
 
&quot;She doesn&#39;t know yet that her own daughter has been killed,&quot; a nurse said. 
 
Food supplies have been running dry, with bread no longer available on local markets. 
 
&quot;I haven&#39;t eaten since the day before yesterday,&quot; said a mother in a shelter with her two children in Douma, Eastern Ghouta&#39;s main town. &quot;They haven&#39;t stopped crying for three days.&quot; 
 
The cornered rebels in Eastern Ghouta have been firing back into Damascus, where six civilians were wounded on Saturday, state media said. 
 
Around 20 people have been killed in eastern districts of the capital since Sunday, according to state media, and many residents have sought temporary accommodation elsewhere for fear of a further intensification of the fighting. 
 
At the United Nations, US ambassador Nikki Haley expressed dismay as negotiations dragged on to secure Russian approval for a ceasefire resolution. 
 
&quot;Unbelievable that Russia is stalling a vote on a ceasefire allowing humanitarian access in Syria,&quot; Haley posted on Twitter. 
 
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron wrote to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday to ask him to back the ceasefire. 
 
Negotiations have stumbled over a key provision of the draft resolution that specifies when the ceasefire will begin. 
 
Following hours of tough negotiations, an amended draft was circulated that demands a 30-day ceasefire &quot;without delay,&quot; while stopping short of specifying the timing. &nbsp; 
 
A previous draft had said the ceasefire would go into force 72 hours after the adoption, but that was dropped from the text in a bid to reach compromise with Russia. 
 
In another concession to Russia, the draft also specifies that the ceasefire will not apply to operations against the Islamic State group or Al-Qaeda, along with &quot;individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated&quot; with the blacklisted terror groups. 
 
The text would demand the immediate lifting of all sieges in Syria, including that on Eastern Ghouta, and order all sides to &quot;cease depriving civilians of food and medicine indispensable to their survival&quot;.

A total of 127 children figure among the 510 dead in the bombing campaign that the regime launched last Sunday on the enclave just outside Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said

New air strikes on the Syrian rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta on Saturday took the civilian death toll from seven days of devastating bombardment to more than 500 after the United Nations again delayed a vote on a ceasefire. A total of 127 children figure among the 510 dead in the bombing campaign that the regime launched last Sunday on the enclave just outside Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Britain-based monitor of the war said at least 32 civilians were killed in Saturday's strikes, including eight children. A night of heavy bombardment sparked fires in residential districts, it said. The Observatory has said the air strikes are being carried out by Syrian and Russian forces. Moscow, which intervened militarily in support of its Damascus ally in 2015, has denied any direct involvement in the Eastern Ghouta bombardment. US President Donald Trump on Friday said Russia's recent actions in Syria were a "disgrace". The UN Security Council on Friday delayed to 19:30 GMT a vote on a draft resolution demanding a 30-day ceasefire in Syria, diplomats said. Negotiations were continuing to avoid a Russia veto of the text that would establish a truce to allow humanitarian aid deliveries and medical evacuations. Turkey urged the international community to end the bloodshed in Eastern Ghouta. "The world should say stop to this massacre," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman said on Twitter. Control of Eastern Ghouta is shared between two main Islamist factions, while Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate is also present, and Russia insists there can be no ceasefire with the jihadists or their allies. Russia has been pressing for a negotiated withdrawal of rebel fighters and their families like the one that saw the government retake full control of second city Aleppo in December 2016. But all three rebel groups have refused. During a council meeting called by Russia, Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia presented a new raft of amendments to a draft resolution that would allow deliveries of humanitarian aid and medical evacuations during the pause. Negotiations on the draft presented by Sweden and Kuwait on February 9 have dragged on as hundreds of Syrians have died in a fierce government air campaign in the rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta. World leaders have expressed outrage at the plight of civilians in Eastern Ghouta, which UN chief Antonio Guterres called "hell on earth", but have so far been powerless to halt the bloodshed. The enclave is completely surrounded by government-controlled territory and its 400,000 residents are unwilling or unable to flee the deadly siege. In one of the many unfolding dramas at a Douma field hospital, a young woman amputated from the knee breastfed a 40-day-old infant who had lost his entire family in the bombings. "She doesn't know yet that her own daughter has been killed," a nurse said. Food supplies have been running dry, with bread no longer available on local markets. "I haven't eaten since the day before yesterday," said a mother in a shelter with her two children in Douma, Eastern Ghouta's main town. "They haven't stopped crying for three days." The cornered rebels in Eastern Ghouta have been firing back into Damascus, where six civilians were wounded on Saturday, state media said. Around 20 people have been killed in eastern districts of the capital since Sunday, according to state media, and many residents have sought temporary accommodation elsewhere for fear of a further intensification of the fighting. At the United Nations, US ambassador Nikki Haley expressed dismay as negotiations dragged on to secure Russian approval for a ceasefire resolution. "Unbelievable that Russia is stalling a vote on a ceasefire allowing humanitarian access in Syria," Haley posted on Twitter. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron wrote to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday to ask him to back the ceasefire. Negotiations have stumbled over a key provision of the draft resolution that specifies when the ceasefire will begin. Following hours of tough negotiations, an amended draft was circulated that demands a 30-day ceasefire "without delay," while stopping short of specifying the timing. A previous draft had said the ceasefire would go into force 72 hours after the adoption, but that was dropped from the text in a bid to reach compromise with Russia. In another concession to Russia, the draft also specifies that the ceasefire will not apply to operations against the Islamic State group or Al-Qaeda, along with "individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated" with the blacklisted terror groups. The text would demand the immediate lifting of all sieges in Syria, including that on Eastern Ghouta, and order all sides to "cease depriving civilians of food and medicine indispensable to their survival".

Death toll in Syria enclave tops 500 after UN delays truce vote

Heavy Syrian bombardment killed 44 civilians in rebel-held Eastern Ghouta on Monday, as regime forces appeared to prepare for an imminent ground assault.

The escalation came as pro-government forces were expected to enter the northern Kurdish-controlled enclave of Afrin, to take a stand against a month-old Turkish assault there.

Held by rebels since 2012, Eastern Ghouta is the last opposition pocket around Damascus and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has dispatched reinforcements there in an apparent bid to retake it.

A barrage of air strikes, rocket fire, and artillery slammed into several towns across Eastern Ghouta on Monday, killing 44 civilians and wounding dozens more.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 20 were killed in air strikes on Hammuriyeh and nine others in bombardment on Saqba.&nbsp;

The rest were killed when other areas were pounded. Four children were among the dead.

&quot;The regime is bombing Eastern Ghouta to pave the way for a ground offensive,&quot; said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.&nbsp;

Residents of Hammuriyeh could be seen rushing inside in a panic as soon as they heard the sound of airplanes.&nbsp;

Alaa al-Din, a 23-year-old Syrian in Hammuriyeh, said civilians were afraid of a potential government offensive.

&quot;Ghouta`s fate is unknown. We`ve got nothing but God`s mercy and hiding out in our basements,&quot; he said on Monday.

&quot;There`s no alternative.&quot;

Shelling also hit the town of Douma, where a media correspondent saw five toddlers brought to a hospital, covered in dust and wailing uncontrollably.&nbsp;

Medics offered them biscuits to calm them down, to no avail.&nbsp;

Eastern Ghouta is held by two main Islamist factions, but jihadists control small pockets including one directly adjacent to the capital.&nbsp;

The Observatory and Syrian daily newspaper Al-Watan had said negotiations were under way for the evacuation of jihadists from Eastern Ghouta.

But escalating military pressure indicate that the regime would opt for a ground assault instead of talks, the monitor said.

Government troops carried out a relentless five-day bombing campaign earlier this month that killed around 250 civilians in the enclave and wounded hundreds.&nbsp;

Around the same time, the monitor said, the regime began dispatching military reinforcements to Eastern Ghouta.&nbsp;

After days of relative calm, the government sent more than 260 rockets sailing onto Eastern Ghouta on Sunday.

Those rockets, as well as artillery fire and air strikes, killed 17 civilians, said the Observatory.&nbsp;

The regime is keen to regain control of Eastern Ghouta to halt the deadly salvo of rockets and mortars that rebels fire on Damascus.

About half a dozen rockets hit the capital Sunday night, AFP correspondents said. State news agency SANA reported that one person was killed.

&nbsp;More than 20 civilians have been killed by rebel fire this month alone in regime-held Damascus.

All was quiet in the capital on Monday but since rumours of an imminent assault on Eastern Ghouta started spreading, people living close to the rebel enclave started packing their bags.

Jawad al-Obros, 30, said he was looking to move to a hotel in the western sector of the city to escape his home in an east Damascus neighbourhood that has been regularly hit by rockets from Ghouta.

&quot;We`re tired of this situation. It seems that there`s no solution but a full-blown military one,&quot; he told AFP.&nbsp;

More than 340,000 people have been killed since Syria`s conflict erupted in 2011 with protests against Assad`s government.&nbsp;

It has since evolved into a war that has carved up the country into rival zones of influence among the regime, rebels, jihadists, and Kurdish forces.&nbsp;

The Kurdish People`s Protection Units (YPG) control the northwestern region of Afrin, target of a month-old assault by the Turkish army and allied Syrian rebels.&nbsp;

Turkey sees the YPG as a &quot;terror&quot; group linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), outlawed by Ankara, and wants to clear it from its southern border.&nbsp;

The YPG has controlled Afrin since 2012, when Syrian troops withdrew from it and other Kurdish-majority areas.&nbsp;

Syrian state media said Monday that pro-regime forces were preparing to enter the area to &quot;join the resistance against the Turkish aggression&quot;.

Speaking during a visit to Jordan, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned against any bid by the Syrian regime to help the YPG.

&quot;If the regime is entering (Afrin) to oust the PKK, YPG, there is no problem. But if they are entering to protect the YPG, then no one can stop us and Turkish soldiers,&quot; Cavusoglu said.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Rebel groups in eastern Ghouta fired mortars at areas of Damascus held by the government, killing a child and injuring eight other people, Syrian state media said

Heavy Syrian bombardment killed 44 civilians in rebel-held Eastern Ghouta on Monday, as regime forces appeared to prepare for an imminent ground assault. The escalation came as pro-government forces were expected to enter the northern Kurdish-controlled enclave of Afrin, to take a stand against a month-old Turkish assault there. Held by rebels since 2012, Eastern Ghouta is the last opposition pocket around Damascus and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has dispatched reinforcements there in an apparent bid to retake it. A barrage of air strikes, rocket fire, and artillery slammed into several towns across Eastern Ghouta on Monday, killing 44 civilians and wounding dozens more. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 20 were killed in air strikes on Hammuriyeh and nine others in bombardment on Saqba. The rest were killed when other areas were pounded. Four children were among the dead. "The regime is bombing Eastern Ghouta to pave the way for a ground offensive," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. Residents of Hammuriyeh could be seen rushing inside in a panic as soon as they heard the sound of airplanes. Alaa al-Din, a 23-year-old Syrian in Hammuriyeh, said civilians were afraid of a potential government offensive. "Ghouta`s fate is unknown. We`ve got nothing but God`s mercy and hiding out in our basements," he said on Monday. "There`s no alternative." Shelling also hit the town of Douma, where a media correspondent saw five toddlers brought to a hospital, covered in dust and wailing uncontrollably. Medics offered them biscuits to calm them down, to no avail. Eastern Ghouta is held by two main Islamist factions, but jihadists control small pockets including one directly adjacent to the capital. The Observatory and Syrian daily newspaper Al-Watan had said negotiations were under way for the evacuation of jihadists from Eastern Ghouta. But escalating military pressure indicate that the regime would opt for a ground assault instead of talks, the monitor said. Government troops carried out a relentless five-day bombing campaign earlier this month that killed around 250 civilians in the enclave and wounded hundreds. Around the same time, the monitor said, the regime began dispatching military reinforcements to Eastern Ghouta. After days of relative calm, the government sent more than 260 rockets sailing onto Eastern Ghouta on Sunday. Those rockets, as well as artillery fire and air strikes, killed 17 civilians, said the Observatory. The regime is keen to regain control of Eastern Ghouta to halt the deadly salvo of rockets and mortars that rebels fire on Damascus. About half a dozen rockets hit the capital Sunday night, AFP correspondents said. State news agency SANA reported that one person was killed. More than 20 civilians have been killed by rebel fire this month alone in regime-held Damascus. All was quiet in the capital on Monday but since rumours of an imminent assault on Eastern Ghouta started spreading, people living close to the rebel enclave started packing their bags. Jawad al-Obros, 30, said he was looking to move to a hotel in the western sector of the city to escape his home in an east Damascus neighbourhood that has been regularly hit by rockets from Ghouta. "We`re tired of this situation. It seems that there`s no solution but a full-blown military one," he told AFP. More than 340,000 people have been killed since Syria`s conflict erupted in 2011 with protests against Assad`s government. It has since evolved into a war that has carved up the country into rival zones of influence among the regime, rebels, jihadists, and Kurdish forces. The Kurdish People`s Protection Units (YPG) control the northwestern region of Afrin, target of a month-old assault by the Turkish army and allied Syrian rebels. Turkey sees the YPG as a "terror" group linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), outlawed by Ankara, and wants to clear it from its southern border. The YPG has controlled Afrin since 2012, when Syrian troops withdrew from it and other Kurdish-majority areas. Syrian state media said Monday that pro-regime forces were preparing to enter the area to "join the resistance against the Turkish aggression". Speaking during a visit to Jordan, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned against any bid by the Syrian regime to help the YPG. "If the regime is entering (Afrin) to oust the PKK, YPG, there is no problem. But if they are entering to protect the YPG, then no one can stop us and Turkish soldiers," Cavusoglu said.

Syria bombardment kills 44 in rebel enclave as ground assault looms

&nbsp;Russia, the Syrian regime&#39;s main backer, plans to help Damascus relaunch its energy industry which has been devastated by years of conflict, Energy Minister Alexander Novak has said.

&quot;We have signed a roadmap, not only in the field of electricity, but also oil and gas, covering the restoration of oil fields and the development of new deposits,&quot; Kovak was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies yesterday.

He did not name any Russian companies that may be involved.

As the main international backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s regime, Russia has committed itself to aiding in the country&#39;s reconstruction.

Last week an agreement was signed on the &quot;rehabilitation, modernisation and construction of new energy facilities in Syria&quot; Russia&#39;s energy ministry said on its website.

&quot;We attach great importance to restoring the Syrian economy, especially the oil and gas sectors which will certainly contribute to the normalisation of the economic and social situation in the country,&quot; said Novak.

In December a Russian business and political delegation visited Damascus to discuss investment and reconstruction with Assad, including oil and gas projects but also electricity, phosphates, transport and trade.

&quot;Syria is a land of unlimited riches,&quot; Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who led the delegation, said at the time.

&quot;Russian companies have the moral right to develop large-scale economic projects here,&quot; Rogozin said then.

Russia intervened in the Syrian conflict in September 2015 in support of Assad.

In December last year, President Vladimir Putin ordered the partial retreat of Russian troops from Syria.

'We have signed a roadmap, not only in the field of electricity but also oil and gas, covering the restoration of oil fields and the development of new deposits,' Alexander Novak

Russia, the Syrian regime's main backer, plans to help Damascus relaunch its energy industry which has been devastated by years of conflict, Energy Minister Alexander Novak has said. "We have signed a roadmap, not only in the field of electricity, but also oil and gas, covering the restoration of oil fields and the development of new deposits," Kovak was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies yesterday. He did not name any Russian companies that may be involved. As the main international backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, Russia has committed itself to aiding in the country's reconstruction. Last week an agreement was signed on the "rehabilitation, modernisation and construction of new energy facilities in Syria" Russia's energy ministry said on its website. "We attach great importance to restoring the Syrian economy, especially the oil and gas sectors which will certainly contribute to the normalisation of the economic and social situation in the country," said Novak. In December a Russian business and political delegation visited Damascus to discuss investment and reconstruction with Assad, including oil and gas projects but also electricity, phosphates, transport and trade. "Syria is a land of unlimited riches," Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who led the delegation, said at the time. "Russian companies have the moral right to develop large-scale economic projects here," Rogozin said then. Russia intervened in the Syrian conflict in September 2015 in support of Assad. In December last year, President Vladimir Putin ordered the partial retreat of Russian troops from Syria.

Russia wants to help Syria relaunch oil production

The current situation in Syria seems to have gotten worse since the United Nations decided to conduct a month-long humanitarian ceasefire.&nbsp;

The UN had called for an immediate ceasefire in Syria on Tuesday as heavy air strikes were reported to have killed scores of people in the last major rebel stronghold near Damascus.

The UN resident and humanitarian coordinator Ali al-Za&#39;tari said on Monday that Syria has witnessed &quot;some of the worst fighting of the entire conflict&quot; since the decision.

There are reports of &quot;hundreds of civilian deaths and injuries, massive displacement and the destruction of civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities,&quot; Za&#39;tari said in an emailed statement.&nbsp;

Syria&rsquo;s President Bashar al-Assad is, with the support of Iranian-backed militias and the Russian air force, pursuing military offensives against insurgents in his opponents&rsquo; last major strongholds in the west of the country.

Separately, UN war crimes experts said they were investigating several reports of bombs allegedly containing chlorine gas being used against civilians in the rebel-held towns of Saraqeb in the northwestern province of Idlib and Douma in the Eastern Ghouta suburbs of Damascus.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday&rsquo;s bombardment of Eastern Ghouta had killed 63 people. A local official, Khalil Aybour, put the toll at 53.

On Monday, air strikes killed 30 people in Eastern Ghouta, the Observatory said.

Insurgent shelling of government-held Damascus killed three people, the Observatory, and Syrian state media reported.

Air strikes also killed at least six people in rebel-held Idlib including five in Tarmala village, the Observatory said.

UN officials in Syria called for fighting to stop to enable aid deliveries and the evacuation of sick and wounded, listing seven areas of concern including northern Syria&rsquo;s Kurdish-led Afrin region, being targeted by a Turkish offensive.

&nbsp;

(With input from Reuters)&nbsp;

The UN had called for an immediate ceasefire in Syria on Tuesday as heavy air strikes were reported to have killed scores of people in the last major rebel stronghold near Damascus

The current situation in Syria seems to have gotten worse since the United Nations decided to conduct a month-long humanitarian ceasefire. The UN had called for an immediate ceasefire in Syria on Tuesday as heavy air strikes were reported to have killed scores of people in the last major rebel stronghold near Damascus. The UN resident and humanitarian coordinator Ali al-Za'tari said on Monday that Syria has witnessed "some of the worst fighting of the entire conflict" since the decision. There are reports of "hundreds of civilian deaths and injuries, massive displacement and the destruction of civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities," Za'tari said in an emailed statement. Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad is, with the support of Iranian-backed militias and the Russian air force, pursuing military offensives against insurgents in his opponents’ last major strongholds in the west of the country. Separately, UN war crimes experts said they were investigating several reports of bombs allegedly containing chlorine gas being used against civilians in the rebel-held towns of Saraqeb in the northwestern province of Idlib and Douma in the Eastern Ghouta suburbs of Damascus. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday’s bombardment of Eastern Ghouta had killed 63 people. A local official, Khalil Aybour, put the toll at 53. On Monday, air strikes killed 30 people in Eastern Ghouta, the Observatory said. Insurgent shelling of government-held Damascus killed three people, the Observatory, and Syrian state media reported. Air strikes also killed at least six people in rebel-held Idlib including five in Tarmala village, the Observatory said. UN officials in Syria called for fighting to stop to enable aid deliveries and the evacuation of sick and wounded, listing seven areas of concern including northern Syria’s Kurdish-led Afrin region, being targeted by a Turkish offensive. (With input from Reuters)

Situation in Syria worse since call for ceasefire: UN

Syria`s US-backed Kurds are getting indirect help from an unlikely source in their war against Turkey in the northwestern region of Afrin: President Bashar al-Assad.

Pro-government forces and Kurdish-led forces have fought each other elsewhere in Syria and Damascus opposes the Kurds` demands for autonomy. But in Afrin they have a common enemy and a mutual interest in blocking Turkish advances.&nbsp;

Turkey, which regards the Kurdish YPG militia in Afrin as a threat on its southern border, launched an assault on the region last month. Seeking to shield Afrin, the Kurds asked Damascus to send forces into action to defend the border.

The government shows no sign of doing so, but it is providing indirect help by allowing Kurdish fighters, civilians and politicians to reach Afrin through territory it holds, representatives of both sides told Reuters. 
Assad stands to gain while doing little.

The arrival of reinforcements is likely to sustain Kurdish resistance, bog down the Turkish forces and prolong a conflict that is sapping the resources of military powers that rival him for control of Syrian territory.

For the United States, it is yet another complication in Syria`s seven-year-old war, and a reminder of how its Syrian Kurdish ally must at times make deals with Assad even as it builds military ties with the United States.

Lacking international protection, the Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria say they have reached agreements with Damascus to allow reinforcements to be sent to Afrin from other Kurdish-dominated areas -- Kobani and the Jazeera region.

&quot;There are different ways to get reinforcements to Afrin but the fundamental route is via regime forces. There are understandings between the two forces ... for the sake of delivering reinforcements to Afrin,&quot; Kino Gabriel, spokesman for the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said.

While the Kurds depend on Assad to reach Afrin, Kurdish sources say they also enjoy leverage over Damascus because it needs their cooperation to source grain and oil from areas of the northeast under Kurdish control.&nbsp;

A commander in the military alliance fighting in support of Assad said &quot;the Kurds have no option but coordination with the regime&quot; to defend Afrin.&nbsp;

&quot;The Syrian regime is helping the Kurds with humanitarian support and some logistics, like turning a blind eye and allowing Kurdish support to reach some fronts,&quot; said the commander, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Turkish campaign moves slowly&nbsp;

The Turkish military is making slow gains nearly three weeks into the operation it calls &quot;Olive Branch&quot;.

Ankara views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers` Party (PKK), which has fought a three-decade insurgency in Turkey and is regarded as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union.

The United States has relied on the YPG as a vital ground component of its war against Islamic State, and has backed the group in other Kurdish-run regions in northern Syria along the border with Turkey.

But US forces are not in Afrin, so have been unable to shield Afrin from the attack by Turkey, its NATO ally.

The Kurds meanwhile accuse Russia of giving a green light for the Turkish attack by withdrawing observers it deployed in Afrin last year.

The Afrin war marks another twist in the complicated story of relations between Assad and the Syrian Kurdish groups, spearheaded by the YPG, that have carved out autonomous regions in northern Syria since the war began in 2011.

The YPG controls nearly all of Syria`s frontier with Turkey. But Afrin is separated from the bigger Kurdish-controlled region further east by a 100 km-wide zone controlled by the Turkish military and its Syrian militia allies.

For much of the war, Damascus and the YPG have avoided confrontation, at times fighting common enemies, including the rebel groups that are now helping Turkey attack Afrin.

But tensions have mounted in recent months, with Damascus threatening to march into parts of eastern and northern Syria captured by the SDF with support from the US-led coalition.

Underlining that, pro-Syrian government forces attacked the SDF in the eastern province of Deir al-Zor, drawing coalition air strikes overnight that killed more than 100 of the attackers, the coalition said.

&quot;The regime has allowed the YPG to bring people into Afrin, while attacking it east of Euphrates (River). I think that is indicative of the state of relations right,&quot; said Noah Bonsey, International Crisis Group`s Senior Analyst on Syria.

He added: &quot;There is still a significant gap between the YPG and regime positions on the future of northeastern Syria.&quot;

Fighting for Afrin

The main Syrian Kurdish groups remain wedded to their vision of a Syria where they enjoy autonomy in a form of federalism that is at odds with Assad`s determination to recover all Syria.

Each side has allowed the other to maintain footholds in its territory. In Kurdish-held Qamishli, the government still controls the airport. In the Sheikh Maqsoud district of Aleppo, a government city, Kurdish security forces patrol the streets.

Scores of Kurds from Sheikh Maqsoud have gone to Afrin to support the fight, Kurdish officials there said. The short journey requires movement through areas held by the government or its Iran-backed Shi`ite militia allies.

&quot;Of course people went from Sheikh Maqsoud - in the hundreds - to bear arms and defend Afrin,&quot; said Badran Himo, a Kurdish official from Sheikh Maqsoud.&nbsp;

&quot;Around 10 of them were martyred (killed),&quot; he told Reuters as Kurdish security forces held a rally to commemorate one of the dead.

Earlier this week, witnesses say a civilian convoy of hundreds of cars drove to Afrin from other Kurdish-held areas in a show of solidarity.

The Syrian government has ignored appeals by the Kurdish authorities to guard the Syrian border at Afrin.&nbsp;

&quot;We tried to convince them, via the Russians, to at least protect the borders, to take a position, but we did not reach (get?) a result,&quot; Aldar Khalil, a top Kurdish politician, said.

&quot;If they don`t protect the borders, then at least they don`t have the right to block the way for Syrian patriots who are protecting these borders, regardless of other domestic issues.&quot;

Pro-government forces and Kurdish-led forces have fought each other elsewhere in Syria and Damascus opposes the Kurds` demands for autonomy. But in Afrin they have a common enemy and a mutual interest in blocking Turkish advances

Syria`s US-backed Kurds are getting indirect help from an unlikely source in their war against Turkey in the northwestern region of Afrin: President Bashar al-Assad. Pro-government forces and Kurdish-led forces have fought each other elsewhere in Syria and Damascus opposes the Kurds` demands for autonomy. But in Afrin they have a common enemy and a mutual interest in blocking Turkish advances. Turkey, which regards the Kurdish YPG militia in Afrin as a threat on its southern border, launched an assault on the region last month. Seeking to shield Afrin, the Kurds asked Damascus to send forces into action to defend the border. The government shows no sign of doing so, but it is providing indirect help by allowing Kurdish fighters, civilians and politicians to reach Afrin through territory it holds, representatives of both sides told Reuters. Assad stands to gain while doing little. The arrival of reinforcements is likely to sustain Kurdish resistance, bog down the Turkish forces and prolong a conflict that is sapping the resources of military powers that rival him for control of Syrian territory. For the United States, it is yet another complication in Syria`s seven-year-old war, and a reminder of how its Syrian Kurdish ally must at times make deals with Assad even as it builds military ties with the United States. Lacking international protection, the Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria say they have reached agreements with Damascus to allow reinforcements to be sent to Afrin from other Kurdish-dominated areas -- Kobani and the Jazeera region. "There are different ways to get reinforcements to Afrin but the fundamental route is via regime forces. There are understandings between the two forces ... for the sake of delivering reinforcements to Afrin," Kino Gabriel, spokesman for the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said. While the Kurds depend on Assad to reach Afrin, Kurdish sources say they also enjoy leverage over Damascus because it needs their cooperation to source grain and oil from areas of the northeast under Kurdish control. A commander in the military alliance fighting in support of Assad said "the Kurds have no option but coordination with the regime" to defend Afrin. "The Syrian regime is helping the Kurds with humanitarian support and some logistics, like turning a blind eye and allowing Kurdish support to reach some fronts," said the commander, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Turkish campaign moves slowly The Turkish military is making slow gains nearly three weeks into the operation it calls "Olive Branch". Ankara views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers` Party (PKK), which has fought a three-decade insurgency in Turkey and is regarded as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union. The United States has relied on the YPG as a vital ground component of its war against Islamic State, and has backed the group in other Kurdish-run regions in northern Syria along the border with Turkey. But US forces are not in Afrin, so have been unable to shield Afrin from the attack by Turkey, its NATO ally. The Kurds meanwhile accuse Russia of giving a green light for the Turkish attack by withdrawing observers it deployed in Afrin last year. The Afrin war marks another twist in the complicated story of relations between Assad and the Syrian Kurdish groups, spearheaded by the YPG, that have carved out autonomous regions in northern Syria since the war began in 2011. The YPG controls nearly all of Syria`s frontier with Turkey. But Afrin is separated from the bigger Kurdish-controlled region further east by a 100 km-wide zone controlled by the Turkish military and its Syrian militia allies. For much of the war, Damascus and the YPG have avoided confrontation, at times fighting common enemies, including the rebel groups that are now helping Turkey attack Afrin. But tensions have mounted in recent months, with Damascus threatening to march into parts of eastern and northern Syria captured by the SDF with support from the US-led coalition. Underlining that, pro-Syrian government forces attacked the SDF in the eastern province of Deir al-Zor, drawing coalition air strikes overnight that killed more than 100 of the attackers, the coalition said. "The regime has allowed the YPG to bring people into Afrin, while attacking it east of Euphrates (River). I think that is indicative of the state of relations right," said Noah Bonsey, International Crisis Group`s Senior Analyst on Syria. He added: "There is still a significant gap between the YPG and regime positions on the future of northeastern Syria." Fighting for Afrin The main Syrian Kurdish groups remain wedded to their vision of a Syria where they enjoy autonomy in a form of federalism that is at odds with Assad`s determination to recover all Syria. Each side has allowed the other to maintain footholds in its territory. In Kurdish-held Qamishli, the government still controls the airport. In the Sheikh Maqsoud district of Aleppo, a government city, Kurdish security forces patrol the streets. Scores of Kurds from Sheikh Maqsoud have gone to Afrin to support the fight, Kurdish officials there said. The short journey requires movement through areas held by the government or its Iran-backed Shi`ite militia allies. "Of course people went from Sheikh Maqsoud - in the hundreds - to bear arms and defend Afrin," said Badran Himo, a Kurdish official from Sheikh Maqsoud. "Around 10 of them were martyred (killed)," he told Reuters as Kurdish security forces held a rally to commemorate one of the dead. Earlier this week, witnesses say a civilian convoy of hundreds of cars drove to Afrin from other Kurdish-held areas in a show of solidarity. The Syrian government has ignored appeals by the Kurdish authorities to guard the Syrian border at Afrin. "We tried to convince them, via the Russians, to at least protect the borders, to take a position, but we did not reach (get?) a result," Aldar Khalil, a top Kurdish politician, said. "If they don`t protect the borders, then at least they don`t have the right to block the way for Syrian patriots who are protecting these borders, regardless of other domestic issues."

Friend or foe? Assad quietly aids Syrian Kurds against Turkey

Renewed government strikes killed 32 civilians on Wednesday in a rebel-held enclave near Damascus, where overwhelmed medics were still treating survivors of the Syrian conflict&#39;s bloodiest day in months.

The district of Eastern Ghouta, controlled by rebel factions including Islamists, suffered some of its worst bloodshed in years on Tuesday, when 80 civilians were killed.

Regime warplanes returned Wednesday morning for fresh strikes on the enclave, with the death toll climbing to 32 civilians including a dozen children, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Among them was the young daughter of Abu Raad, a shell-shocked man from Eastern Ghouta.

&quot;Now the rescue workers are searching for my second daughter but can&#39;t find her. What do I do?&quot; he cried.

Tuesday&#39;s toll of 80 dead was &quot;the highest civilian toll in Syria in nearly nine months, and one of the bloodiest days for Eastern Ghouta in several years,&quot; Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said..

Nineteen children and 20 women are among the dead, and around 200 were wounded, said the Britain-based war monitor.

The deadliest raids hit Beit Sawa and Hammuriyeh, the Observatory said.

&#39;Chlorine&#39; use&nbsp;

In Hammuriyeh, a young man stared at the bodies of five children, including his younger brother, killed in an air strike.

&quot;I saw them filling up water, and a few minutes later the airplane hit. I came back and found all five dead,&quot; he said.

Civilians had been bracing for more raids as the regime appeared intent on ratcheting up the pressure on Eastern Ghouta, a rebel pocket on the capital&#39;s doorstep.

&quot;Please break up all gatherings and clear the streets,&quot; blared an announcement from mosque minarets in Douma.

In apparent retaliation, rebel rocket fire on a government-controlled suburb of Damascus killed one child an wounded two people, state news agency SANA reported.

Citing a police source, SANA said the shells were launched from Eastern Ghouta.

Home to an estimated 400,000 people, the Eastern Ghouta region has been included in a de-escalation deal that was meant to bring calm.

But the bombardment has increased in recent days, including with suspected chlorine-filled munitions.

On Wednesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said &quot;all indications&quot; pointed to the Syrian government&#39;s use of chlorine weapons in Syria.

&quot;All indications... tell us today that chlorine is being used by the regime at present in Syria,&quot; he told to a television.

Chlorine is suspected of having been used on two occasions this month alone on Eastern Ghouta.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said a fact-finding mission mandated &quot;to establish the facts surrounding allegations of the use of toxic chemicals... is investigating all credible allegations.&quot;

The world&#39;s chemical watchdog voiced &quot;grave concern&quot; over the new reports.

The US State Department said on Monday it had recorded six suspected chemical attacks in Syria in the past 30 days.

&#39;Breaking point&#39;

Syria has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons.

On Wednesday, the Syrian army said it intercepted an Israeli attack on a military position in Jamraya, northwest of Damascus.

Jamraya is home to several military positions and a branch of the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center, suspected of playing a leading role in chemical weapons production.

An Israeli air strike hit the facility in May 2013.

&quot;This morning, Israeli warplanes fired several missiles from Lebanese airspace on one of our military positions in the Damascus countryside,&quot; said an army statement carried by state media.

&quot;Our air defence systems blocked them and destroyed most of them.&quot;

The Observatory said an arms depot in Jamraya had been hit, but it could not confirm whether research facilities had been damaged.

The United Nations has said it is looking into reports of chemical attacks in Syria, and called on Tuesday for a month-long ceasefire across the country for the sake of civilians.

The de-escalation zones, according to the UN&#39;s regional humanitarian coordinator for Syria, were not doing enough to stem the violence.

&quot;There is a misperception that de-escalation areas have resulted in peace and stability,&quot; Panos Moumtzis told reporters in Beirut.

&quot;Eastern Ghouta is a de-escalation area. If anything, there has been a serious escalation... The conflict in Syria is far from over,&quot; Moumtzis said.

He said the situation had grown direr because of the multiple fronts raging at the same time.

&quot;It&#39;s the first time -- between Eastern Ghouta, Idlib, Afrin -- we have multiple fronts with people in extreme danger without a view to a solution,&quot; he said.

&quot;Now, we feel we&#39;ve reached a breaking point.&quot;

More than 340,000 people have been killed and millions displaced since the conflict in Syria erupted in March 2011.

Renewed government strikes killed 32 civilians on Wednesday in a rebel-held enclave near Damascus, where overwhelmed medics were still treating survivors of the Syrian conflict's bloodiest day in months

Renewed government strikes killed 32 civilians on Wednesday in a rebel-held enclave near Damascus, where overwhelmed medics were still treating survivors of the Syrian conflict's bloodiest day in months. The district of Eastern Ghouta, controlled by rebel factions including Islamists, suffered some of its worst bloodshed in years on Tuesday, when 80 civilians were killed. Regime warplanes returned Wednesday morning for fresh strikes on the enclave, with the death toll climbing to 32 civilians including a dozen children, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Among them was the young daughter of Abu Raad, a shell-shocked man from Eastern Ghouta. "Now the rescue workers are searching for my second daughter but can't find her. What do I do?" he cried. Tuesday's toll of 80 dead was "the highest civilian toll in Syria in nearly nine months, and one of the bloodiest days for Eastern Ghouta in several years," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said.. Nineteen children and 20 women are among the dead, and around 200 were wounded, said the Britain-based war monitor. The deadliest raids hit Beit Sawa and Hammuriyeh, the Observatory said. 'Chlorine' use In Hammuriyeh, a young man stared at the bodies of five children, including his younger brother, killed in an air strike. "I saw them filling up water, and a few minutes later the airplane hit. I came back and found all five dead," he said. Civilians had been bracing for more raids as the regime appeared intent on ratcheting up the pressure on Eastern Ghouta, a rebel pocket on the capital's doorstep. "Please break up all gatherings and clear the streets," blared an announcement from mosque minarets in Douma. In apparent retaliation, rebel rocket fire on a government-controlled suburb of Damascus killed one child an wounded two people, state news agency SANA reported. Citing a police source, SANA said the shells were launched from Eastern Ghouta. Home to an estimated 400,000 people, the Eastern Ghouta region has been included in a de-escalation deal that was meant to bring calm. But the bombardment has increased in recent days, including with suspected chlorine-filled munitions. On Wednesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said "all indications" pointed to the Syrian government's use of chlorine weapons in Syria. "All indications... tell us today that chlorine is being used by the regime at present in Syria," he told to a television. Chlorine is suspected of having been used on two occasions this month alone on Eastern Ghouta. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said a fact-finding mission mandated "to establish the facts surrounding allegations of the use of toxic chemicals... is investigating all credible allegations." The world's chemical watchdog voiced "grave concern" over the new reports. The US State Department said on Monday it had recorded six suspected chemical attacks in Syria in the past 30 days. 'Breaking point' Syria has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons. On Wednesday, the Syrian army said it intercepted an Israeli attack on a military position in Jamraya, northwest of Damascus. Jamraya is home to several military positions and a branch of the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center, suspected of playing a leading role in chemical weapons production. An Israeli air strike hit the facility in May 2013. "This morning, Israeli warplanes fired several missiles from Lebanese airspace on one of our military positions in the Damascus countryside," said an army statement carried by state media. "Our air defence systems blocked them and destroyed most of them." The Observatory said an arms depot in Jamraya had been hit, but it could not confirm whether research facilities had been damaged. The United Nations has said it is looking into reports of chemical attacks in Syria, and called on Tuesday for a month-long ceasefire across the country for the sake of civilians. The de-escalation zones, according to the UN's regional humanitarian coordinator for Syria, were not doing enough to stem the violence. "There is a misperception that de-escalation areas have resulted in peace and stability," Panos Moumtzis told reporters in Beirut. "Eastern Ghouta is a de-escalation area. If anything, there has been a serious escalation... The conflict in Syria is far from over," Moumtzis said. He said the situation had grown direr because of the multiple fronts raging at the same time. "It's the first time -- between Eastern Ghouta, Idlib, Afrin -- we have multiple fronts with people in extreme danger without a view to a solution," he said. "Now, we feel we've reached a breaking point." More than 340,000 people have been killed and millions displaced since the conflict in Syria erupted in March 2011.

Death toll soars as Syria regime pounds rebel enclave

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