With the Syrian ceasefire looking ever more in doubt, fighting picked up over the weekend, with government and rebel forces clashing in Aleppo, and Syrian military forces launching strikes against the rebel stronghold of Douma, in Metro Damascus.
At least 13 were killed in the Douma strikes, with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights saying they believe the toll will rise. 26 others were killed in fighting around Aleppo, which saw rebels shelling a government-held district in the city, and Syrian forces attacking some nearby areas.
Early reports suggested that the overwhelming majority of the slain were civilians, including materially everybody slain in both Douma and the rebel attacks on a government district of Aleppo. In both cases, the targeted areas are dominated by factions that are party to the peace talks.
There’ve been some smaller clashes surrounding the ceasefire, which has been in place since February, but by and large allegations of “violations” have centered on fights with factions like al-Qaeda, who are not a party to the truce. The weekend fighting suggests that truce may be evaporating.