Rocket fire claims 8 in Damascus

BEIRUT — Rockets rained down on several Old Damascus neighbourhoods on Sunday, including one known for its cafes and restaurants, killing at least eight people and wounding 20 others.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the rockets were fired from rebel positions on the outskirts of the capital.

“At least eight people were killed and more than 20 others were wounded when rockets hits several neighbourhoods in Old Damascus,” Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.

Syria’s state news agency Sana, quoting a police source, denounced a “terrorist attack” that it said killed five people and wounded 16. Sana said the rockets hit the mostly Christian neighbourhood of Bab Tuma. The Observatory said rockets also struck Bab Al Salama and Qaymariyeh in Old Damascus.

A restaurant in Qaymariyeh was hit, it said. An AFP correspondent said he saw bloodied people running in the streets, calling for help and waiting for ambulances.

A civilian in a pick-up truck ferried several people to hospital, the correspondent said, explaining that ambulances could not enter Bab Tuma because of its narrow alleyways.

A Facebook page dedicated to pinpointing rocket fire in Damascus posted pictures of destruction at a restaurant, showing overturned chairs and tables and blood on the floor. —