Hezbollah and Assad regime have been attacking Wadi Barada with heavy airstrikes and artillery shelling for 12 consecutive days. Moreover, Hezbollah made multiple attempts to advance on the ground, but opposition forces were able to repel the attacks. The offensive killed many civilians and caused widespread damage to property, including the vital Ain al-Fiejah spring facility which provides most of Damascus and its countryside with drinking water.
Opposition-held villages of the valley have been under siege for months by Hezbollah and Assad regime. The humanitarian situation was already dire even before the recent offensive started 12 day ago. In addition to the bombing, people in the valley have now to endure life without water, electricity or any means of communication including landlines, cell phones and the internet. The villages also face acute shortage of food, medicine and fuel due to the long siege.
Wadi Barada, located 18 kilometers northwest of Damascus, consists of 13 villages; ten are under opposition control while three are occupied by Assad regime.
A countrywide ceasefire in Syria went into effect at midnight on Thursday (2200GMT), after Turkey, Russia and opposition fighting factions reached a deal in the Turkish capital Ankara. According to the deal, Turkey and Russia would act as guarantor countries for the implementation of the ceasefire.
التعليقات (0)