SYRIA: New deadly raids rock rebel-held Eastern Ghouta

Syrian government forces are reported to have carried out a new wave of air and artillery strikes on the besieged rebel-held Eastern Ghouta region. The attacks left at least 33 civilians dead, a monitoring group said, bringing to 382 the number killed since Sunday.  The UN has said the 393,000 people there are trapped in […]

Syrian government forces are reported to have carried out a new wave of air and artillery strikes on the besieged rebel-held Eastern Ghouta region.

The attacks left at least 33 civilians dead, a monitoring group said, bringing to 382 the number killed since Sunday. 

The UN has said the 393,000 people there are trapped in “hell on earth”.

A draft resolution calling for a 30-day nationwide truce is to be discussed by the UN Security Council, but the Syrian government’s ally Russia may veto it. 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said it would consider allowing the text to pass if the truce does not cover the jihadist groups Islamic State and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an al-Qaeda-linked alliance that has a presence in the Eastern Ghouta. Mr Lavrov said he also wanted to exclude rebel groups in the enclave who are “co-operating” with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and shelling nearby government-held areas.