Clashes Near Damascus Despite Syria Truce

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

Syrian pro-government forces clashed with rebels around the main water source for Damascus on Thursday, a monitor said, threatening a fragile ceasefire as it entered its seventh day.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said regime troops backed by fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah movement were battling to recapture parts of the Wadi Barada region from rebels. 

The area north of Damascus is the main source of water to the capital.

The Observatory, a Britain-based monitor of Syria's conflict, said regime forces had late on Wednesday launched "dozens of air strikes on parts of Wadi Barada along with artillery and rocket fire, killing a firefighter."

Fighting has continued in the area despite a nationwide ceasefire brokered by regime backer Russia and rebel sponsor Turkey, which has brought quiet to large parts of Syria.

The regime says forces in Wadi Barada include former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, previously known as Al-Nusra Front, which Moscow and Damascus say is excluded from the ceasefire.

Rebels deny the group is in the area.

The capital's water supply has been cut since December 22, with the regime and rebels trading accusations over responsibility.

Regime forces late Wednesday also bombed several parts of rebel-held Eastern Ghouta near Damascus, while regime and loyalist forces battled Islamist militants there, the Observatory said.

The opposition-controlled Rashidin district on the western outskirts of Aleppo was also bombed, it said, killing a rebel fighter and wounding eight others.

The ceasefire agreement is meant to pave the way for peace negotiations later this month in the Kazakh capital Astana, but Ankara warned on Wednesday that violations of the truce by President Bashar al-Assad's government were putting the talks at risk.

Comments 16
Thumb Southern...... 05 January 2017, 12:05

"... battling to recapture parts of the Wadi Barada region from rebels":
this is the only way to guarantee the water supply to the population, water which was sabotaged and cut deliberately by the 'rebels'...

btw, the Turkish-led extremists aren't any better than the Saudi-led ones, all of them are savage terrorists.

Thumb justin 05 January 2017, 15:30

what about you shias who besiege syrian villages, starve them, deprive them of food and water, and medical aid.

Thumb Southern...... 05 January 2017, 16:06

shias are helping the Syrian people as refugees in Lebanon while the resistance, the freedom fighters are helping the Syrian govt to eradicate the terrorists who were taking innocent civillians as hostages in Alleppo (retaken) and now cutting the water supplies in Damascus.

btw, why this secatarian indication! shia this shia that! is it because you feel bittered due to your frustration!?....keep striking your keyboard, it's free.

Thumb justin 05 January 2017, 16:46

i agree southern the shias are helping the syrians become refugees in lebanon. When you stop saying salafi wahabi in every single one of your comments, then please ask me about my occasional use of the term shias.

Thumb Mystic 05 January 2017, 16:50

How about the Salafi rebels depriving the civilians food in the Salafi occupied areas of Syria?

When Aid convoys gets into besieged areas, then the salafi rebels always takes all of the aid for themselves and let the people starve.

Thumb Southern...... 05 January 2017, 20:09

salafstin

Salafism and Wahabism are ideologies but not sects, they are extremist terrorist ideologies that bear all responsibilties for what's happening Middle East, thus favouring the zionist entity, try to think a little bit.... i'm realy astonished of how you can support and defend such scum....

Thumb Southern...... 05 January 2017, 20:09

**in Middle East

Thumb marcus 05 January 2017, 20:45

ya illiterate irani

shiism is also an ideology and wilayat al faqih that you and your filthy sectarian militia belong to and commit massacres under its banner is also an ideology.

Missing ArabDemocrat.com 05 January 2017, 23:54

Southern ... All that time and the water flowed from rebel controlled areas till the Assad clan barrel bombed the facility and then you have the gall talking about extremists. The biggest and by far the worst criminal in Syria is the Assad regime and the sectarian militias that support that monstrous regime.

Missing ArabDemocrat.com 05 January 2017, 23:55

Southern - when the shock troops of the Assad regimes are Shia sectarian militias, what do you like people to call them?

Thumb liberty 06 January 2017, 05:06

"btw, why this secatarian indication! shia this shia that!"

who is fighting in Syria and besieging entire cities other than the shia of the evil ayatollah. stfu!

Thumb Mystic 05 January 2017, 16:52

Every rebel group in Syria have direct links and support to Al Nusra.
They are all salafis, and they must all die.

So what is this ceasefire deal?

Thumb janoubi 05 January 2017, 17:04

it is sectarian fanatics like you who give the shias a bad name.

Thumb Mystic 05 January 2017, 19:38

It is yahoudis like you, that a betrayers of Lebanon.
Maybe you are already washing dishes in some Israeli falafel resturant?

Thumb gigahabib 05 January 2017, 12:55

"Rebels deny the group is in the area." Maybe they just changed their name again?

Thumb liberty 06 January 2017, 05:18

“حزب الله” يموّل الإرهاب بالمخدرات.. 8 مصانع في لبنان وتركيا والسودان

ويعتبر هاشم الموسوي، شقيق النائب عن “حزب الله” في البقاع حسين الموسوي (أبو هشام)، أحد أبرز وأخطر مصنعي حبوب الكبتاغون وأكبر المهربين. إذ عمد إلى إنشاء مصنعين لإنتاج هذه الحبوب واحد في منطقة بعلبك داخل مبنى أسسه ليكون حوزة علمية دينية وآخر في منطقة “التيرو” في الشويفات جنوب العاصمة بيروت تحت عنوان “مصنع نايلون” وكل مصنع وصلت قدرته الإنتاجية إلى 100 ألف حبة يومياً، لاستهداف شباب المنطقة بشكل عام والمملكة بشكل خاص.

http://www.lebanese-forces.com/2017/01/06/hezbollah-drugs-assmahan-al-ghamidi/