Syrian rebels on Thursday unleashed
a barrage of rockets on Damascus, and terrified residents reported at least two
people killed.
Civilians hurried for
shelter as almost 50 rockets, by the count of the Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights monitoring group, fell in government-held central districts.
Locals said security forces
in four-wheel-drive vehicles and pick-ups mounted with machine guns raced
around otherwise empty streets.
The attacks came two days
after the leader of the largest faction in the rebel-held eastern suburbs said
the capital would be considered a “military zone.’’
Zahran Alloush, commander of
the Army of Islam, warned residents to stay away from security installations
and keep off the streets during working hours.
Alloush wrote on Twitter
that a list of military and security buildings had been targeted, but locals
said the barrage had hit mostly residential areas.
“The attack came in response
to the savage air raids carried out by the regime on the city of Douma and
other cities in the eastern Ghouta,’’ Alloush said.
The government-held central
and northern areas of the capital have largely been spared destruction during
the conflict, which will soon enter its fourth year.
Poor suburbs in the Ghouta
region on the outskirts of the city, where the Army of Islam and other mostly
Islamist rebel groups are in control, have been heavily hit by government
shelling and air raids.
They have also been
effectively besieged by government forces.
A lack of supplies has
forced rebels in several areas to accept ceasefires. (dpa/NAN)
