Heavy fighting resumes in Eastern Ghouta

BEIRUT: Heavy fighting resumed in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta on Sunday after a short period of relative calm following reports that a cease-fire had been agreed there late on Friday, a war monitor and pro-regime media sources said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said there was intense fighting accompanied by large blasts, heavy shelling and air raids after an attack by extremists. It said the Syrian army of President Bashar Assad had fired dozens of rockets and shells into Eastern Ghouta since the cease-fire was reported to have begun.
A military media unit run by Hezbollah said the Syrian army had repulsed an attack by extremists in Eastern Ghouta, detonating an insurgent car bomb. It had then responded to the assault with shelling and air strikes, it said.
A resident of Damascus said bombardment could be heard coming from Eastern Ghouta on Sunday morning and smoke was visible.
Late on Friday, an opposition official said that Assad’s ally Russia had promised the opposition delegation at peace talks in Vienna that it would put pressure on Damascus to enforce a truce in Eastern Ghouta.
The cease-fire was never publicly confirmed by the Syrian regime.
International concern has been rising over the fate of 400,000 people living in besieged Eastern Ghouta as acute food and medicine shortages have contributed to what the UN has called the worst malnutrition of the war.