Dozens of civilian casualties as Syrian city bombarded

AMMAN: The Syrian army launched intensive aerial strikes on the city of Nawa in southern Deraa province yesterday and there were reports of dozens of civilian casualties as the army pressed a Russianbacked offensive in the area.

A resident said dozens of missiles were also fired on the heavily populated city that lies near Quneitra province adjoining the Israelioccupied Syrian Golan Heights, where the army moved earlier this week to control the remaining parts of the country’s southwest in rebel hands.

‘‘It’s like doomsday,’’ Malek al Ghawi said in a text message to Reuters, adding there were ‘‘many corpses in the streets and everyone is unable to pull them.’’

‘‘We don’t know where to take the injured. The town has been burnt,’’ Abu Hashem, another resident said.

Nawa, where at least 100,000 people still live, is the largest urban centre left in rebel hands in Deraa province, where a Russianbacked offensive which began last month defeated rebels across a swath of territory near Jordan and Israel.

The artillery and aerial bombardment came only hours after thousands of displaced people who had taken shelter along the Israeli border returned to the city.

They came back after reports that rebels had reached a surrender deal with the Russian military that would spare the city bombardment, another resident said.

The UKbased Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a hospital in the city was put out of action by the bombardment.