E. Ghouta: Syrian regime attacks kill 25 more civilians

By Adham Kako and Muhammed Shekh Yusuf

EASTERN GHOUTA, Syria

At least 25 civilians have been killed by intensified Syrian regime attacks in the Damascus suburbs of Eastern Ghouta, said sources from the Syrian Civil Defense on Wednesday.

Sources from the Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, told Anadolu Agency that regime attacks on civilian areas in Eastern Ghouta had killed 25 people on Wednesday.

According to an Anadolu Agency correspondent on the ground, the regime forces and their supporters have been intensifying attacks on such areas as Duma, Haresta, Hammuriya, Marj, Saqba, Kafr Batna, Arbin and Madyara.

The death toll is expected to increase as attacks are still continuing in several areas.

At least 167 civilians were killed on Monday and Tuesday by intensified Syrian regime attacks in Eastern Ghouta as well.

"The secretary-general is deeply alarmed by the escalating situation in Eastern Ghouta and its devastating impact on civilians," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said in a written statement on Tuesday.

Eastern Ghouta falls within a network of de-escalation zones -- endorsed by Turkey, Russia and Iran -- in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

Home to some 400,000 civilian residents, Eastern Ghouta has remained under a crippling regime siege for the last five years.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011, when the regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.