Syrian troops pound Daraa after attack

Associated Press

BEIRUT

Syrian government forces pounded parts of the southern city of Daraa with air- strikes and artillery fire, activists reported Sunday, one day after rebels attacked government positions in the southern city.

Much of Daraa has been reduced to rubble and the two sides are exchanging fire through the shells of buildings, according to footage released by Syrian military media and the al-Qaida-linked Abaa News Agency over the weekend.

Local opposition activist Ahmad al-Masalmeh recorded 90 missile and bomb strikes by government forces by the afternoon. Syrian military media footage showed clouds of smoke and dust rising over the city.

At least 31 fighters have been killed in the clashes since late Friday, with fatalities distributed nearly evenly between the two sides, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.

The fighting has underscored the frailty of the “de-escalation” agreement brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran one month ago. The three powers are supposed to guarantee cease-fires across four zones in Syria, including Daraa. Russia said it would delineate the four zones by Sunday, but no announcement has yet been made.

Earlier in the weekend, rebels, including al-Qaida-linked fighters, attacked government and allied positions in the city’s Manshiyeh district.

“The regime sent 200 of its men to Manshiyeh yesterday. The fighters were afraid of an operation, so they attacked first,” al-Masalmeh told The Associated Press.

Casualties could not be independently verified.