Syrian rebels
Syrian weapons storage explosion in Idlib kills dozens
Syrian civilians, displaced during the country’s seven-year long war, were living in the building which was also used by an arms dealer, the Observatory said.
Russia has played a critical role in supporting Assad’s two-week offensive with air power and negotiating local deals initially overseen by its military police.
The fighting erupted after several groups of rebels attacked an artillery battery of the Syrian army, the ministry said.
The recovery of the enclave south of Damascus would mark another milestone in President Bashar al-Assad’s war effort.
President Bashar al-Assad scored a major victory in April by retaking eastern Ghouta, the biggest rebel stronghold near Damascus.
A timeline of the Syrian conflict, from protests in March 2011 to the collapse of rebel groups in Eastern Ghouta in March 2018.
A war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the Syrian military had resumed artillery bombardment of Douma, where blasts were heard.
Jaish al-Islam is currently negotiating with Russia over the future of the area and the people in it.
Media reports said Turkish AFAD emergency relief teams had conducted various tests on the affected rebels.
Last Friday rebels staged a major assault southwest of Aleppo to break this siege.
Pro-government media outlets denied the siege had been broken.
The violence is part of intense fighting, pitting the Kurdish YPG militia, which is backed by Washington.
The Hazzm movement was once central to a covert CIA operation to arm Syrian rebels.
The northeastern corner of Syria is strategically important in the battle against Islamic State.
A monitor group says the militants carried out dawn raids on rural villages.
This is a symbolic victory for President Assad weeks before his likely re-election
The attacks come a day after President Bashar al-Assad declared he would seek re-election in June.
Officials said the election was a sign Assad was unwilling to seek a political solution to the conflict.
The UN mediator increased pressure on both sides to show willingness to bring about peace.