Assad’s army launches vicious attacks on Eastern Ghouta

Translation by Dani Murad

As clashes continue to rage in Eastern Ghouta between Islamic factions and regime's army, and in an attempt from the latter to storm into the town of Maliha, the town of “Zebdin” was caught in the midst of this aggressive attack, when Assad’s forces committed a horrific massacre against its people, claiming so far the lives of more than 16 civilians, and 120 wounded, half of them suffer from serious injuries.

Activists say the number of martyrs will increase due to the long siege imposed by Assad forces on these areas, as well the wounded will face a slow death because field hospitals cannot carry out the necessary procedures any more, due to the lack of needed medical supplies and medicines.

“Zebdin” was targeted by Pro-Assad forces on Thursday night with a surface-to-surface missile (SSM), which has fallen in the middle of the town, in a residential neighborhood and caused a massive destruction, and as regime forces advanced into its entrances backed by tanks, the town has witnessed a large immigration wave of people who fled the area, especially when the tanks’ shells demolished several houses on the outskirts of the town, coincided with violent clashes that took place on the eastern front of "Maliha" on the road to "Zebdin."

Field sources inside Ghouta reportedly said that there is an urgent need to contain and unite the military formations operating there, which are (Jaysh al-Islam, Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union, Al Nusra Front, Failak al Rahman, and a number of other battalions, in order to break the siege of "Maliha", and they warned of the danger of losing Ghouta towns one after the other due to regime’s attacks.

Damascus media office in Eastern Ghouta reported that "Zebdin" still under regime’s constant shelling and aerial bombardment, and that ambulances try as possible to transfer martyrs and wounded to the few remaining nearby field hospitals, while other sources confirmed the killing of 15 of regime’s forces and shabiha at the hands of military factions who are fighting to deter the fierce offensive against the town.

And in unprecedented action, nearly at one o'clock after midnight, a military aircraft “MIG” launched night raids on Eastern Ghouta and targeted several towns, including, in particular the town of Deir al-Asafir which is located 12 km southeast of Damascus, near the airport.

Afterwards, the fighter jet emptied its arsenal of rockets in the middle of “Zebdin ", on the town’s school which is adjacent to a residential building, and then left Ghouta’s airspace, after causing a human tragedy.

It is worth mentioning that "Zebdin" is not considered among the hot fronts in Eastern Ghouta, which makes it a safe heaven and a destination for many displaced families who fled regime’s bombardment and artillery strikes, but it is also one of the biggest entrances to the rest of the cities and towns in Ghouta as Maliha and Deir al-Asafir.