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Executive Summary for January 3rd

We review the key developments in Syria, including the Syrian government preparing for a counteroffensive in Eastern Ghouta, airstrikes in Idlib killing seven people, and shells from Syria landing in southern Turkey.

Published on Jan. 3, 2018 Read time Approx. 2 minutes

Syrian Government Prepares for Eastern Ghouta Counteroffensive

The Syrian army is preparing for a major assault on an army base besieged by insurgent forces in the Eastern Ghouta suburbs of Damascus, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

Citing residents and witnesses, Reuters said that troops were preparing to attack the Military Vehicles Administration in the suburb of Harasta, where some 200 soldiers were believed to be trapped by rebels who widened their control of parts of the military installation on Sunday.

Reuters said the rebels mainly belong to the Islamist Ahrar al-Sham group.

Heavy fighting broke out in Eastern Ghouta between government forces and rebels early on Monday as troops tried to reach pro-government forces trapped inside the military installation.

The government has also escalated airstrikes and artillery attacks on the besieged suburbs outside the capital. Citing residents, Reuters said that at least 30 airstrikes hit different parts of Eastern Ghouta on Tuesday. At least five civilians were killed and many others wounded on the same day in the rebel enclave.

Citing Syrian civil defense sources, Reuters said that at least 38 civilians have been killed and 147 others injured in heavy airstrikes on the area since Friday.

Eastern Ghouta is the last rebel enclave around the Syrian capital.

Airstrikes in Idlib Kill Seven

At least seven people were killed in airstrikes on Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib on Tuesday, Agence France-Presse reported, citing the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Five children and two women were among those killed in the attacks on the town of Khan Subul in central Idlib, AFP said.

It was not immediately clear whether Russian or Syrian government warplanes were behind the strikes.

The government has escalated its attacks on Idlib, which is designated a de-escalation zone, following more than a week of battles with al-Qaida-linked militants in southern Idlib and adjacent territory in northern Hama.

Last Thursday, airstrikes in Idlib killed at least 19 civilians.

Idlib is the last remaining province in Syria under complete rebel control.

Shells From Syria Hit Turkey

Two artillery shells launched from Syria hit parts of southern Turkey on Tuesday, Reuters reported, citing the Turkish state-run Anadolu agency.

The shells, which were launched from an area controlled by loyalists of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, hit a rural area of the border district of Yayladagi in Turkey’s southeastern province of Hatay, Reuters said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Tuesday’s incident comes almost a week after Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan described Assad as a terrorist, saying he should not play any part in Syria’s future.

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