At Least 22 Killed in Syrian Airstrikes on Damascus Suburb

A series of airstrikes were reported against the city of Douma today, one of the biggest rebel-held suburbs of Damascus, hitting residential areas and killing a number of people, with rebels reporting at least 22 killed and dozens wounded.

Official statements from the Syrian Army claimed that they’d hit missile launchers and killed an even larger number of people, describing the casualties as “scores of terrorists.” Rebels disputed this, claiming that only civilians were killed and that “there are no terrorists.”

The Syrian military has been trying to whittle down what was once a substantial amount of rebel territory around the capital city, and Eastern Ghouta is one of the last regions still containing a lot of rebels, with Douma by far the biggest city they retain.

Over the past couple of weeks, rebels from the surrounding area have managed to sneak into Damascus itself and get into gunbattles with security forces, which seems to have the military once again ratcheting up the pressure of rebel territories, likely hoping to force them to agree to more evacuation deals.