Air strikes on Syria's eastern Ghouta kills over 30 civilians

Syria, 19 Mar 2018 [Fik/News Sources]: Air strikes on eastern Ghouta killed over 30 civilians on Saturday,  a monitor said, almost a month into a blistering Russia-backed regime assault on the Syrian rebel enclave outside Damascus.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 30 people were killed in the strikes on the eastern Ghouta's Zamalka town that hit a group of people who were trying to flee into regime-controlled areas.

"Warplanes targeted civilians in Zamalka town as they prepared to flee" the southern area of the enclave held by the Faylaq al-Rahman rebel group, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.

Since mid-February, Syrian regime forces have targeted Damascus' sprawling suburbs with shells, air strikes and, at times, even toxic gas, according to opposition medics.

Regime forces have taken 70 percent of the enclave since then  and last weekend, regime forces divided the enclave into three sectors, isolating the major urban centers and enabling a swift advance. 

The weekslong regime violance has killed more than 1,390 civilians and wounded 5,000 in the enclave, according to the Observatory, which relies on a network of sources on the ground.