32 Die in Air Raids near Damascus as Mortar Attack on Capital Kills 12

At least 32 people were killed in Syrian regime air raids on two rebel-held towns near Damascus on Sunday, a monitoring group said.

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights head Rami Abdel Rahman said 17 people were killed in Douma, northeast of the capital, and 15 others in Kfar Batna, to the east of Damascus.

A woman and a child were killed in each of the towns targeted, he said.

The rebel bastion of Douma has been besieged by regime forces for more than a year, and it has been the target of regular bombardment over past weeks.

Activists on the ground confirmed Sunday's air raids, saying that markets had been the targets.

Both towns are in the Eastern Ghouta region in the east of Damascus province.

Later on Sunday, twelve people were killed in rebel mortar fire on southern districts of the Syrian capital, state news agency SANA reported.

"Twelve people including a girl were martyred and 23 others wounded in terrorist attacks with mortars on the Shaghur, Bostan al-Dur and Dauilaa districts," it said.

Syria's more than three-year war is estimated to have killed more than 170,000 people and displaced around half of the population.