More Than 20 Killed in Aerial Attacks on Eastern Ghouta

More than 20 people were killed in heavy shelling and airstrikes on the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta suburbs of Damascus on Wednesday, the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

The SOHR war monitor said that 18 civilians, including 11 women and one child, were killed during the heavy bombardment of the besieged town of Mesraba. According to Reuters, at least four bombs flattened residential buildings in the opposition-held area, wounding some 40 people.

The SOHR said that two other people were killed in bombing on the town of Arbin, while another three civilians were killed in shelling on Beit Sawa.

The SOHR said that Russian warplanes are believed to be behind the attacks.

The death toll is expected to rise as some people have been critically injured, the monitoring group said.

The escalated attacks on Eastern Ghouta come as pro-government forces prepare to attack a military installation in the suburb of Harasta, where some 200 Syrian troops are believed to be trapped by rebels who widened their control of parts of the military installation on Sunday.

The besieged suburbs have witnessed fierce fighting and intense shelling and airstrikes since last week. According to the SOHR, at least 70 people, including 14 children, have been killed by shelling and airstrikes in Eastern Ghouta since December 29.

Separately, at least six people were killed in shelling and airstrikes on a town in the eastern countryside of Idlib, the SOHR said on Wednesday, only one day after airstrikes on the province killed seven people.

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.

Syrian Civil Society Groups Reject Sochi Conference

Syrian civil society groups opposed to President Bashar al-Assad criticized calls for Russian-sponsored peace talks in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, the Guardian reported on Thursday.

Russia, Turkey and Iran announced late last month that the so-called Syrian Congress on National Dialogue will be held on 29–30 January in Sochi. Russian president Vladimir Putin is planning to send out over 1,700 invitations to groups, including the Syrian opposition. However, it remains largely unclear who will participate in the congress.

The Working Group for Syria, which comprises some 120 organizations, issued a joint statement accusing Russia of using the talks in Sochi to bypass U.N.-sponsored talks in Geneva, the Guardian said.

The working group has also called on U.N. special envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura to boycott the event, saying it would represent a “dangerous departure from the [U.N.-led] Geneva process,” the Guardian said.

De Mistura has yet to confirm whether or not he will attend the Sochi negotiations.

The Syrian opposition has also previously denounced the planned congress.

Rebels Purportedly Damage Seven Russian Planes: Report

Rebel shelling on Moscow’s Hmeymim air base in Syria purportedly destroyed seven Russian warplanes last month, a report published by a Russian newspaper said on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

“At least four Su-24 bombers, two Su-35S fighter jets and an An-72 transport plane, as well as an ammunition depot” were purportedly damaged or destroyed during the December 31 attack, Reuters said, citing the Kommersant report.

The report, which cited two unidentified “military-diplomatic” sources, claimed that more than 10 Russian servicemen were injured in the attack by “radical Islamists,” according to Reuters.

If verified, the attack would be “the single biggest loss of military hardware for Russia” since the start of its campaign in Syria in 2015, Reuters said.

Russia’s defense ministry denied the claims on Thursday, describing them as “fake,” Reuters reported.

Recommended Reads:

• The National: Critical Developments in the Syrian Conflict Bring Uncertainties and New Dangers
• The New Arab: Brothers in Arms: Syria’s Opposition Say Iran Protests Echo Their Own Struggle for Freedom
• Al-Monitor: Hama Rebels Struggle to Hold Ground as Regime, IS Attack
• Global Voices: Cancer Center in Syria’s Besieged East Ghouta Struggles to Survive
• Al Jazeera: Syria: Tens of Thousands Displaced as Fighting Continues in Idlib