Renewed mortar shelling kills 8 in Syrian capital

At least eight people were killed and over 23 others wounded on Wednesday when rebels fired mortar shells against residential areas of the capital Damascus, state news agency SANA reported.

The "terrorists" of the rebels' Islam Army fired multiple mortar shells and improvised rockets into districts of Damascus, "in a desperate attempt to undermine the steadfastness of the Syrians," SANA said.

Meanwhile, the oppositional Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the death toll could rise as more than 30 people are wounded, some of whom are in critical conditions.

Islam Army, or Jaish al-Islam, is a Saudi-backed militant group located in several Syrian areas, mainly in the Eastern Ghouta Countryside of the capital Damascus.

The Islam Army, which has over 15,000 fighters, is the main rebel group responsible for the daily mortar attacks against civilian areas inside Damascus.

Wednesday's attack came less than two weeks after the Syrian troops associated the leader of Islam Army, Zahran Alloush, in an operation marking a big blow to the militant group.

After his killing, Damascus people feared a retaliatory attack by the Islam Army. Endit