Syrian troops look to split rebel-held enclave

UN denounces government’s attacks on thousands of civilians in eastern Ghouta

BEIRUT — Government forces carried out punishing airstrikes against an opposition-held suburb of Damascus Wednesday, seeking to divide the besieged enclave in two and further squeeze rebels and tens of thousands of civilians trapped inside, state-run media and opposition activists reported.

The government, determined to wrest the suburbs from the control of rebels after seven years of war, has resorted to extreme levels of shelling and bombardment to clear the way for its troops to advance on the ground.

The state-affiliated al-Ikhbariya TV station on Wednesday broadcast live shots from the region, showing dense columns of smoke rising above the town as explosions and rockets could be heard flying overhead.

SANA news agency said troops were on the outskirts of Misraba and Beit Sawa, two rebel-held towns in the heart of the enclave.

Dramatic videos released by the opposition’s Syrian Civil Defence on Wednesday showed rescuers digging away hardpacked rubble to rescue a dustcovered little boy and a baby girl in the town of Arbeen.

In Geneva, UN human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein denounced what he said were attempts by Syria’s government to justify indiscriminate, brutal attacks on hundreds of thousands of civilians by the need to combat a few hundred fighters in eastern Ghouta, calling it “legally and morally unsustainable.”

“When you are prepared to kill your own people, lying is easy too. Claims by the government of Syria that it is taking every measure to protect its civilian population are frankly ridiculous,” he said.

Civilians are not safe anywhere in eastern Ghouta, and aid workers who entered briefly on Monday said some residents hadn’t seen sunlight for two weeks because they were sheltering underground.

At least 800 civilians have been killed since the offensive started Feb. 18, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights monitoring group.

Russia’s military announced Monday it was offering safe passage for rebels and their families out of eastern Ghouta, where some 400,000 people have been trapped under a relentless government campaign of shelling and airstrikes.

Rebel spokesperson Wael Olwan dismissed the offer on Tuesday, saying it was “psychological warfare.”