Syrian regime raids near Damascus kill 35 civilians

At least 35 civilians were killed and dozens wounded in a series of Syrian regime raids on a rebel stronghold east of Damascus on Friday, Al Arabiya quoted the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as saying on Friday.

According to organization, "regime warplanes targeted the towns of Jisreen and Kfar Batna in the Eastern Ghouta region", killing 35 people including six children.

The toll has more than tripled from an earlier report of 11 dead.

According to the observatory, those raids left dozens wounded or unaccounted for in the towns of Sabqa, Kafrbatna and Jisreen.

Government forces regularly bombard Eastern Ghouta, a populated suburb of Damascus largely controlled by the powerful Jaish al-Islam rebel group.

In the southern province of Daraa, four children were killed when the regime bombarded the town of Hara.

And four civilians died in shelling of the town of Sanamayn, 30 kilometres (20 miles) east of Hara.

Sources: MENA