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Executive Summary for February 6th

We review the key developments in Syria, including continued attacks on Eastern Ghouta, reports of an alleged chemical attack on Idlib, and Turkey setting up a new observation post in the northwest.

Published on Feb. 6, 2018 Read time Approx. 3 minutes

Airstrikes on Eastern Ghouta Kill Nearly 30 People

At least 29 people were killed in airstrikes on the besieged suburbs east of the capital on Monday, Agence France-Presse reported, citing the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a war monitor.

The most fatal airstrike targeted a market in the town of Beit Sawa, killing 10 people. Another nine people were killed in a separate airstrike on the town of Arbin.

In retaliation, rebels launched mortar and rocket attacks on the capital Damascus, killing one woman and wounding four others, AFP said citing Syrian state media.

Government forces have stepped up attacks on the last rebel enclave near the Syrian capital since December. According to Syrian Civil Defense, more than 200 people have been killed in government attacks on Eastern Ghouta since December 29.

Doctors, Rescue Workers Claim Chemical Attack in Idlib

At least nine people reportedly suffered breathing problems in Idlib, after chemicals were dropped from the air in a government attack on the opposition stronghold, Reuters reported on Monday, citing doctors and rescue workers.

Radi Saad, a member of the chemical weapons team of Syrian Civil Defense said that two barrels containing chemical gases had been dropped from helicopters on Sunday night, Reuters said.

The SOHR claimed that cases of suffocation were reported in the city of Saraqeb after the attack. The Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), an organization that supports hospitals in Idlib, said its facilities treated patients with “symptoms indicative to usage of chlorine.”

The attack comes days after the U.S. accused the Syrian government of developing new weapons and methods of delivering poison chemicals.

Meanwhile, the German government on Monday called for an investigation into the use of chemical weapons in Idlib and Eastern Ghouta, after rescue workers and doctors claimed in recent weeks that separate chemical attacks had struck the two rebel holdouts.

“If it is confirmed that the Syrian government has once again used chemical weapons, that would be an abhorrent act and an egregious violation of the moral and legal obligation to avoid the use of chemical weapons,” an official with the German foreign ministry said, according to Reuters.

The Syrian government has stepped up attacks on Idlib since December. But airstrikes on the province escalated after militants shot down a Russian fighter jet near Saraqeb on Saturday.

Bombardment of the rebel-held province struck a hospital in the town of Kafranbel on Monday, the Associated Press reported, citing activists. Earlier on Sunday, an attack on Maarat al-Numan city put a SAMS hospital out of service, the AP said.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Syrian Civil Defense (White Helmets) and the U.S.-based Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations (UOSSM) have also said that their medical facilities in the region had been hit by airstrikes, according to Reuters.

“With the majority of hospitals no longer operating in these areas, these latest attacks will deprive tens of thousands of life-saving care,” the ICRC said on Twitter.

Turkey Deploys in New Observation Point

The Turkish military on Monday said that its troops are setting up a fourth observation point in northwestern Syria, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

A military convoy was dispatched to the countryside of Aleppo to establish Turkey’s fourth observation post in the region, Anadolu said.

Reuters stated the new observation point in southwest Aleppo is the “deepest position” to be established by Turkey so far inside northwest Syria.

The SOHR said the new observation post is being set up near the town of al-Eis in Aleppo’s southern countryside. This places Turkish forces only a few miles away from Syrian troops and allied militias who are based in al-Hadher town, according to the monitoring group.

Turkey began deploying troops to northwestern Syria in October as part of a de-escalation zone agreement signed by Ankara, Tehran and Moscow. Ankara says the aim of the deployment is to prevent violations of the de-escalation zone agreement, which has been undermined by escalated fighting in Idlib and other protected areas in recent weeks.

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