Syrian troops advance in region near capital

BEIRUT Syrian President Bashar Assad vowed Sunday to continue with a military offensive in a rebel-held region near the capital, as troops and allied militias captured a number of villages and towns in the largest advance since a widescale operation began last month.

Speaking to a small group of reporters in Damascus, Assad said the five-hour daily “humanitarian pause” in eastern Ghouta would continue, to allow for any civilians wishing to leave the area to do so.

“There is no contradiction between the truce and the military operation,” he added.

Assad also denied that the Syrian government carried out toxic gas attacks, describing such reports as part of the western countries’ “dictionary of lies.”

Meanwhile, the United Nations said it planned to deliver aid to a total of 70,000 people in the stricken region starting Monday after it received approval from the government to move in. U.N. officials had said lack of approvals and consensus among the warring parties, as well as the limited duration of the five-hour Russian-ordered humanitarian pause, had made aid delivery impossible.

Eastern Ghouta, home to some 400,000 people, has been under a crippling siege and daily bombardment for months. More than 600 civilians have been killed in the last two weeks alone.