The carnage in Syria

At least 550 civilians were killed last week when the Syrian army and its Russian allies mounted a devastating attack on Eastern Ghouta, a rebel-held enclave on the outskirts of Damascus. The air strikes were among the most intense in Syria’s seven-year civil war, and opposition groups accused President Assad’s government of using chlorine gas and barrel bombs. According to Western aid agencies, hospitals and rescue workers have been deliberately targeted. UN Secretary General António Guterres has described the scene as “hell on earth”.

The UN Security Council ordered a nationwide 30-day truce to allow the evacuation of casualties and delivery of aid, which – having delayed for two days – Russia agreed to. But the ceasefire was not implemented and fighting continued regardless. On Tuesday, Moscow gave instructions for a daily five-hour “pause”, but this was breached on its first day.

What the editorials said

The assault on Eastern Ghouta does not amount to a single “war crime”, said The Guardian. It’s “war crime upon war crime upon war crime”. Last year, the enclave was declared a de-escalation zone under a deal agreed between Russia, Iran and Turkey. Yet some 400,000 people are still trapped inside, under regular bombardment and often without food or electricity. Alas, we know how events are likely to play out, said The Times. Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, said last week that Moscow and the Assad regime would “draw on lessons” from the siege of Aleppo. We know what that involves: it means targeting hospitals and aid workers, and cutting off supplies until an exhausted population is finally “starved into submission”.

The entire Syrian conflict looks set to intensify, said The Daily Telegraph. Iran talks darkly of breaking the “hegemonic power” of Israel; Russian mercenaries are reported to have clashed with US forces at the US base at Deir Ezzor. Unless “cooler heads prevail”, today’s proxy war in Syria could soon develop into a full-blown conflict between the big players.