Assad’s jets kill dozens near Damascus as government makes advances against rebels
At least seven children were reportedly killed in the attack – the latest victims of a war which has claimed nearly 200,000 lives
Dozens of civilians were killed in a suburb of the Syrian capital when government jets launched a series of air raids against anti-regime rebel fighters.
At least 42 people died in the attack on Douma in eastern Damascus, including seven children, according to a group monitoring the conflict.
Residents remove debris to look for survivors in Douma (Reuters)
Among those killed were an unspecified number of rebels who have been fighting to oust the regime of President Bashar al-Assad for more than three years, said the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Activists posted videos on YouTube showing the destruction caused by the raids in the suburb, a frequent target of deadly strikes
People could be seen carrying the charred remains of victims amid scenes of panic as firefighters battled to put out blazes in several buildings.
Elsewhere, the army announced that it had taken control of the area of Halfaya in Syria's central province of Hama.
By retaking the town government troops will be better positioned to defend nearby Christian and Allawite communities that support President Bashar Assad.
Central Syria is a communal patchwork, with large communities of Christians, Ismailis and Allawites, who mainly back Assad, himself an Allawite, and fear Sunni extremists among the rebels.
The Observatory says more than 180,000 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict since it erupted in March 2011, while the United Nations puts the figure at 191,000.
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