Civilians wounded as Hizballah shells Damascus suburb towns

Tens of civilians were wounded after shelling by Hizballah hit several areas in the northwest regions around Damascus on Sunday, local sources told The New Arab.

Most of the injured were children, a local opposition source reported, as the shelling targeted Zabadani city as well as the towns of Madaya and Baqin in the Rif Dimashq province. 

Despite several truces over the past twelve months, the city of Zabadani and neighbouring areas of the Rif Dimashq region have come under assault by the Syrian-regime militia and its allies for their strategic value in straddling the Lebanon-Syria border.

The Lebanese Hizballah militia group has taken a major role in fighting against Syrian opposition forces on the side of the Syrian regime and has actively deployed troops in the country since 2012.

Early in 2016 the regime siege of Madaya came into international prominence after images of starving residents emerged.

Regime assaults for full control over Rif Dimashq have also seen renewed fighting on Sunday over the suburbs of Arbin city, north of the city of Damascus, where regime forces are reported to be struggling to make gains against armed rebel groups.

Also on Sunday, regime forces launched raids on the Eastern Ghouta towns of Kafr Batna and Jisreen.  

Meanwhile, Syrian opposition forces said they detonated two bomb-laden vehicles near Syrian regime bases in the city of Daraa, where regime forces and rebels engaged in fierce clashes on Sunday.

Local sources told The New Arab that armed rebel groups launched counter attacks against regime forces in the Daraa region after the regime breached the ceasefire with attacks on opposition Free Syria army sites.