Russia Says Syrian Rebels Killed Civilians in Eastern Ghouta

TEHRAN (defapress) – The Russian military said on Thursday that Syrian rebels killed four civilians in the eastern Ghouta rebel-held enclave during a protest, news agencies reported, citing Major-General Vladimir Zolotukhin speaking in Damascus.

News ID: 68935

Date: 01 March 2018 - 22:38

According to Reuters, he told reporters that the killings show that rebel threats against people who want to leave eastern Ghouta are real.

In the past few days, Eastern Ghouta near Damascus has witnessed renewed violence with terrorists mounting repeated mortar attacks on the Syrian capital in the face of an imminent rout.

Western powers, however, blame the Syrian government and Russia for the crisis.

On Wednesday, Syrian government forces advanced on the eastern edge of the Eastern Ghouta district and managed to retake the areas of Hawsh al-Dawahira and al-Shaffoniya.

The operation against terrorists came following the approval of a recent UNSC resolution demanding a 30-day truce in Syria.

Recently, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri said those parts of Damascus suburbs that are under terrorists’ control will not be included in the ceasefire, adding that the cleansing operation will continue in those areas.

Russia’s Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia also said that the resolution does not preclude Syrian forces from targeting Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) and al-Nusra Takfiri militants operating in some parts of the Arab country.