Syrian Forces Shell Damascus Suburb, Clash With Rebels

Over a Dozen Wounded in Shelling of Arbin

Tensions are on the rise in metro Damascus, as rebels and Syrian troops clashed in the Eastern Ghouta area, leading Syrian troops to shell the suburb of Arbin, and other areas near Douma, a major rebel-held area close to Damascus.

The area around Eastern Ghouta, which includes those rebel-held areas, was mostly calm during the ceasefire in recent months, but seems like many other parts of the country to be picking up, irrespective of the US announcement of a new ceasefire early today.

Reports from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says that only one person was killed in the shelling, and “nearly 20” others were wounded. There was no accounting of the casualties of the clashes, however.

The Douma area is mostly dominated by Jaish al-Islam, which was a party to the previous ceasefire. The area also has a significant presence of al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front, which has been fighting fiercely against the Syrian military in the area around Aleppo.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.