Civilians Killed in Bombing of Syrian Rebel Strongholds, Reports Say

One of the missiles fell near a school in Douma, reportedly killing at least two children and the headteacher.

Syrian state news reported forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad seized the Marj al-Sultan air base and the nearby village of the same name, as well as adjacent farmlands in Eastern Ghouta, an agricultural area in the Damascus countryside.

At least 31 civilians were killed Sunday in heavy bombardment of a besieged Syrian rebel stronghold east of Damascus that also struck a school, a monitoring group said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the towns of Douma, Harasta, Saqba and Arbin, largely controlled by rebel forces, were hit by government missiles, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.

SANA said a child was killed and three people were wounded, and said the shells caused material damage to automobiles and buildings. The group – which mainly operates in rebel-held areas – also used social media to distribute a graphic image of a dead baby that had suffered a severe head wound.

Issam al-Rayyes, spokesman for the Southern Front of the insurgent Free Syrian Army, said as many as 60 people had been killed in strikes on the Douma area which started early on Sunday.

Though no faction wants to admit it, years of civil war have split Syria into several different regions under the control of different factions, with ISIS holding the lion’s share.

Since late September, Russia has been carrying out bombings against the ISIL terrorists in Syria, after Russia’s parliament granted President Putin authorization to deploy the country’s air force overseas.

United NationsThe United Nations aid chief on Monday condemned attacks on civilians in and near the Syrian capital as “unacceptable”, a day after more than 50 were killed. Most of the victims were school students, it said, citing its reporter in the area.