UN expresses 'outrage' over bombardment deaths in Damascus suburbs

The United Nations children's agency hasissued a statement of protest against the reported killing of dozensof people, including several children, in the Syrian government's bombardment of rebel-held suburbs of Damascus.

UNICEF's one-page statement, released Tuesday by its regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, carries theheadline: "Do those inflicting the suffering still have words to justify their barbaric acts?"

The headline is followed by blank space underneath.UNICEF said it issued this blank statement because "we no longer have the words to describe children's suffering and our outrage."

The bombardment of Syria's rebel-held eastern Ghouta area near Damascus by pro-government forces has killed 250 people in the 48 hours since Sunday night, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Tuesday. The Britain-based war monitor said this was the highest 48-hour death toll since a 2013 chemical attack on the besieged enclave, which killed hundreds.

The Observatory said 106 people had been killed by bombardment on Tuesday.

• Russia, U.S. tight-lipped about deadly Syria episode involving their forces
• Syrian warplanes kill 76, injure 140 in eastern Ghouta, monitor says

The violence in eastern Ghouta is part of a wider escalationin fighting on several fronts in Syria as President Basharal-Assad pushes to end the seven-year rebellion against him.

Mortars fired by rebels in eastern Ghouta landed in Damascuson Tuesday, causing two deaths and several injuries, Syrianstate media reported. At least one person died from rebel mortarfire in the capital on Monday.

Lebanon's al-Manar television, which is aligned with Assad'sally Hezbollah, reported on Monday that the Syrian army wassending reinforcements toward eastern Ghouta after rebelassaults.

Assad's most powerful supporter, Russia, has been followinga diplomatic track at the same time as the increase in fighting,resulting in the establishment of several "de-escalation zones."

Eastern Ghouta is in one of these areas, where violence ismeant to be contained, but the de-escalation agreement does notinclude a former al-Qaeda affiliate that has a small presencethere.

Other insurgent groups in eastern Ghouta, including Islamistfactions, say the Syrian government and Russia are using thejihadist presence as a pretext to continue their bombardment.

GRAPHIC WARNING: Deadly bombings in Ghouta, Syria

7 years ago

Duration 1:47

Reports say attack in rebel-held region kills over 100, injures many more

Neither the Syrian military nor Russia commented on therenewed bombardment in the region, but they have often saidthey do not target civilians.

The observatory said the intensified bombing was inpreparation for a pro-government ground offensive against theenclave and that a rebel group there had foiled an attempt bySyria's army to advance overnight.

France said on Tuesday that thebombing of eastern Ghouta by pro-government forcesamounted to a serious violation of international humanitarian law and called for a humanitarian truce.

The attacks "deliberately target inhabited areas andcivilian infrastructure, including medical ones. They constitutea grave violation of international humanitarian law," the foreign ministry said in a statement.