Rebels shell Damascus in retaliation for regime airstrikes

Syrian rebels are shelling pro-regime neighborhoods of Al Qassaa, Abbassiyyin, and Ish Al Werwer in Damascus on Monday for the second day in a row, leaving 11 injuries. The attacks came in response to a two-week government campaign to capture strategic opposition-held territory east of the capital.
Scores of mortars reportedly fired from rebel-controlled territory pounded the regime’s Alawite-majority district of Dahiyat al-Assad since Sunday, killing up to four civilians and injuring dozens of others.
The rebel attacks appear to be retaliation for the regime’s ongoing bombardment of two opposition-controlled districts in east Damascus: Qaboun and Tishreen.
Regime warplanes have hit Tishreen and Qaboun with more than 30 airstrikes as well as scores of mortars, artillery fire and tank shells since Sunday, local opposition media reported.
The government offensive, which began in mid-February, is the most intense escalation in the area since the two neighborhoods signed a ceasefire with the regime in July 2014. The campaign comes amidst months of sweeping regime success in eliminating pockets of rebel influence and control surrounding the capital.