Assad warplanes carried out 16 airstrikes on the valley using thermobaric (vacuum) bombs. Hezbollah and Assad terrorists tried to advance on the ground in Bassimah under heavy cover of artillery shelling but were repelled by opposition fighters. FIL missiles, mortar shells and heavy machine guns were used in the attacks injuring six people.
Hezbollah and Assad regime have been attacking Wadi Barada with heavy airstrikes and artillery shelling for 18 consecutive days. They also made multiple attempts to advance on the ground, but opposition fighters were able to repel the attacks.
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 18 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 kilometres northwest of Damascus, consists of 13 villages; ten are under opposition control while three are occupied by Assad regime.
A countrywide ceasefire in Syria was declared on Thursday (29 December 2016), 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.
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