Aid convoy to besieged suburb postponed

A second convoy with desperately needed aid for the besieged rebel-held eastern suburbs of Damascus was postponed yesterday because of the violence and a rapidly evolving situation on the ground, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.

The postponement came as Syrian government forces intensified an offensive on eastern Ghouta under the cover of airstrikes.

The government forces seized more than half of the area on Wednesday, effectively dividing the besieged enclave in two and further squeezing the rebels and tens of thousands of civilians trapped inside, state media and a war monitor reported.

Government forces advancing from the east are now nearly a mile away from forces on the western side of eastern Ghouta, cutting links between the rebels in northern and southern parts of the area.

The military gains have caused wide-scale internal displacement as civilians flee government advances toward areas in the territory still held by the rebels.