Off the wire
• Outsider countries should support efforts to safeguard peace, stability in South China Sea: FM  • Chinese FM meets Australian PM  • Rwandan president tips investors on local market satisfaction  • China, Myanmar hold diplomacy, defense talks on maintaining border peace  • Ukrainian president praises state aircraft manufacturer  • EU encourages Macedonia to form new gov't as soon as possible  • Egypt court sentences 2 Morsi supporters to death over violence  • NATO troops in Lithuania indicate unity of allies: president  • Foreign exchange rate of Euro to other currencies  • Assad says possible Russia-U.S. cooperation positive for Syria  
You are here: 　 Home

Syrian warplanes carry out 20 airstrikes on rebel areas near Damascus: monitor

Xinhua, February 8, 2017 Adjust font size:

At least 20 airstrikes targeted rebel-held areas in the eastern countryside of the capital Damascus on Tuesday, leaving unknown losses, a monitor group reported.

The airstrikes targeted the rebel bastions of Jobar and Arbeen in the Eastern Ghouta region east of Damascus, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The London-based watchdog group said the airstrikes were coupled with intense battles between the Syrian army and the rebel fighters in that part of the capital.

Still, the reasons behind the eruption of the battles and airstrikes were unknown, as that front has remained largely calm since a Turkish-Russian-sponsored ceasefire went into force on Dec. 30.

The sound of warplanes and the strikes were clearly heard in Damascus on Tuesday, and the rebels fired many mortar shells on the capital, one of which slammed near the Faculty of Law in central Damascus, with losses remained unknown. Endit