Syrian forces begin new offensive in Eastern Ghouta

Rebel-held enclave near Damascus attacked from multiple fronts, hours after Security Council calls for 30-day truce.

Al Jazeera 2/25/18

Link: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/02/syrian-forces-offensive-eastern-ghouta-180225071935104.html

Syrian government forces have launched a ground and air offensive in Eastern Ghouta, witnesses said, hours after the UN Security Council voted unanimously in favour of a resolution calling for a 30-day ceasefire in Syria.

President Bashar al-Assad's forces began fighting opposition groups from multiple fronts in the rebel-held enclave near Damascus on Sunday morning, while Syrian warplanes continued to shell the besieged area for the eighth consecutive day.

Hay'et Tahrir al-Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, is one of the main opposition groups in control of some areas in the enclave.

They say they have been able to capture and "killed a number of soldiers" as they tried to make their way inside the city, Al Jazeera's Osama Bin Javid said.

Reporting from Gaziantep in neighbouring Turkey, Bin Javid confirmed there were multiple attempts by the government to "storm" the area from several sides.

Rebel sources in control of the enclave were resisting the attacks, Bin Javid reported, saying the fighters struggled to hold their positions on multiple fronts.

Opposition fighters say they will uphold the UN's ceasefire call, but will respond to any aggression as they reserve the right for self-defense. 

The ceasefire's aim was to evacuate residents of the Damascus suburb, which is under siege, and to allow for the flow of food aid and medicine.

Last week, deadly air strikes and artillery fire launched by Russian-backed Syrian forces exacerbated a dire humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave, home to some 400,000 people.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), more than 500 civilians lost their lives as a result of the aerial bombardment campaign that began on February 18.

"It is worth noting that before this [ground offensive] began, there has been relentless bombardment in many of the places in Eastern Ghouta, where those rebel defense lines were" Bin Javid said.

Eastern Ghouta is the last remaining rebel-held area east of Damascus and has been under siege by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces since 2013, in an attempt to drive rebel forces out.

According to Bin Javid, government forces have been "specifically targeting underground tunnels and hideouts".

"It seems that the government now is adamant to enter Eastern Ghouta."

Meanwhile, the head of Iran's armed forces Mohammed Baqri, said on Sunday Syria will respect the UN's call for a ceasefire, but will continue attacks against what he called "terrorists" and on areas controlled by Hay'et Tahrir al-Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front.

"UN resolution ceasefire on Syria does not cover Eastern Ghouta; mop-up operations to continue in suburbs," Tasnim quoted Baqri as saying on Twitter. 

Syria and its allies, Russia and Iran, are fighting against opposition groups in Idlib province as well - one of the last remaining rebel-held areas in Syria. 

Both Eastern Ghouta and Idlib were meant to be two of several "de-escalation zones" agreed upon a year ago by Russia, Iran - both government allies - and Turkey - a backer of the armed opposition.

'Lifesaving operations'

Mohamad Katoub, advocacy manager on behalf of hospitals and medical facilities in East Ghouta, stressed that the biggest challenge is the shelling that is targeting "humanitarian infrastructure".

Speaking to Al Jazeera from Gaziantep, Katoub noted that rescue teams cannot move because of the destruction of the buildings and the continuous attacks.

"In the last six days we lost 40 percent of our capacity to respond to the injuries and to the people in need of medical services in this area," he said.

Without adequate sanitation or food, pregnant women, patients with chronic diseases and children in need of vaccination are at risk of disease, he further noted.

"Now, we need lifesaving operations," Katoub said, referencing the thousands of civilians who are wounded.

"We don’t have high hopes from this UNSC resolution – this is not the first UNSC resolution, which called for immediate aid inside Ghouta."     

The vote on the UNSC resolution, sponsored by Kuwait and Sweden, had been delayed several times as council members tried to convince Russia to agree to its terms.

A meeting was originally scheduled for 11am local time (16:00 GMT) on Friday, but negotiations over the wording of the resolution had its sponsors make amendments to avoid a Russian veto.

As a result, the resolution did not specify a given time for the ceasefire to come into effect.

The UN special envoy for Syria, Steffan de Mistura, had stressed the urgent need for a ceasefire to stop the "horrific heavy bombardment of Eastern Ghouta and the indiscriminate mortar shelling on Damascus".

And earlier this week, the UN and other international bodies expressed outrage at the number of civilian casualties.

Hundreds of thousands of people have died in fighting during Syria's seven-year civil war, and millions have been forced to flee the country.

My Response:

This article focuses on a specific aspect of the situation in Syria that shows how desperate conditions really are. Though a resolution can be agreed on unanimously for a 30 day ceasefire, this seems to be another solution, though reasonable, that will not stick. If this is President Assad's way of taking the opportunity when the rebel forces might have put down their guard a little, this will garner no respect from the international community and certainly no support. The president's choice to attack has started a chain reaction for the other side to begin fighting as well for what they say is no cause but self-defense. For the people in desperate medical conditions are to be protected and have needed medical attention brought to them, another way will have to be found. When Mohamad Katoub, advocacy manager on behalf of hospitals and medical facilities in East Ghouta says, ""We don’t have high hopes from this UNSC resolution – this is not the first UNSC resolution, which called for immediate aid inside Ghouta." he pretty much sums up the situation for everybody. As far as what practical measures can be taken to help those in such a difficult situation, I am unsure. As far as bias in the article, the article seems fairly unbiased but overall tilts against the Syrian president Assad and doesn’t seem highly impressed with the UN’s efforts either. Coming from Aljazeera, which often has more of a wider world perspective than just the West, the audience could be people all over the world. It could be trying to raise awareness for people stuck in Damascus and collect international support to help. It could also be trying to point out how the UN’s solutions are not working, and saying how more must be done to truly work through the crisis.