Damascus, Feb. 2 (TNS): Syrian government warplanes killed seven civilians and injured dozens of internally displaced people in Aleppo as air strikes and shelling intensified across rebel-held areas in Syria.
Several air strikes and artillery shelling also took place in eastern Ghouta, a suburb of the capital Damascus on Friday as concerns mounted over chemical attacks by the Syrian government.
Images posted by the Syrian Civil Defence Force, also known as the White Helmets, showed rescue volunteers helping refugees who were part of a convoy that was struck by the Syrian government in the village of Telahdiya in the West Aleppo countryside.
The air strike in Telahdiya took place hours after Syrian government warplanes killed three civilians in Arbin city in Eastern Ghouta on Friday afternoon. The SCD dispatched several rescue volunteers to help the wounded after government warplanes struck residential areas across the city.
The air strikes came minutes after artillery shells hit Douma city in Eastern Ghouta, which injured civilians. The SCD did not report any fatalities but said that its rescue operation inside Douma city was ongoing.
Images posted by the SCD showed rescue volunteers rescuing a child who survived the government shelling in Douma. No fatalities were reported by the SCD but said on Twitter that its rescue operation inside Douma city was ongoing.
This represents the 3rd chemical attack reported in Douma, a suburb of Eastern Ghouta since the start of 2018, with two earlier attacks on 13 January and 22 January. On Thursday, the Trump administration said it would take military action against Syrian government forces to deter the use of chemical attacks.
Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have continued occasional use of chemical weapons in smaller amounts since a deadly attack last April that drew a US missile strike on a Syrian air base, US officials told reporters.
A global campaign was launched to raise awareness about the successive chemical attacks that have taken place in Eastern Ghouta as Syrian government forces continue to fight to take control of the area.
