The assault on Wadi Barada valley northwest of Damascus has continued for the 11th consecutive day in a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement which was announced on Friday.
Activists in Wadi Barada valley said that regime forces and the Hezbollah militia shelled the highlands in the area as well as the villages of Bseima, Ayn Alfija, Husseiniya, Kfeir Alzeit, and Deir Qanoun in the early hours of Monday. Militants of the Hezbollah militia targeted civilian homes in the village of Bseiam and the nearby roads with heavy machine guns to prevent people from moving around.
The bombings in the area have left dozens of civilian casualties and put hospitals and civilian institutions out of service. The water pumps in Ayn Alfija pumping station were also damaged, causing a decline in the water level in Ayn Alfija spring.
The Syrian Coalition on Saturday warned of the consequences that may result from the brutal assault being carried out by regime forces and their allied Hezbollah and the Iranian militias against the towns and villages of the Wadi Barada valley. It called on guarantors of the ceasefire agreement to prevent any further violation of the agreement.
Activists in Wadi Barada valley said that 13 airstrikes by the Assad regime’s air force hit the area on Sunday, adding that 7 of these airstrikes targeted the village of Ayn Alfija. There was artillery and rocket shelling on the area as well by the Hezbollah militia alongside attempts by regime forces and their allies to advance on the outskirts of the valley.
Wadi Barada valley contains 13 villages, nine of which are under the control of the FSA and rebel groups. The valley is surrounded by a range of hills on top of which regime forces and the Hezbollah militias are stationed. The area, home to about 100,000 people, have been under suffocating siege for over three years. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Office)
