21 March,2017 08:38 AM IST | | Agencies
Syrian warplanes hammered opposition-held neighbourhoods of Damascus yesterday after regime forces pushed back a surprise assault that saw rebels try to fight their way into the city centre
Smoke billows following a reported air strike in the rebel-held parts of the Jobar district on March 19. Pic/AFP
Beirut: Syrian warplanes hammered opposition-held neighbourhoods of Damascus yesterday after regime forces pushed back a surprise assault that saw rebels try to fight their way into the city centre.
Rebels and allied jihadists, led by former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, launched an attack early Sunday on government positions in east Damascus, initially scoring key gains.But forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad drove them back by nightfall and began a fierce bombing campaign yesterday morning.
"There have been intense air strikes since dawn on opposition-held positions in Jobar from which the offensive was launched," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
"The government and allied forcesâ¦are striking the groups that launched Sunday's assault," he added. He said it was unclear whether regime forces or their Russian allies were carrying out Monday's raids on Jobar.
