Assad forces bomb school in Quneitra; 10 killed

By Mohamad Misto

DARAA, Syria

At least 10 refugees were killed in a barrel bomb attack by regime forces in south-western Syria on Tuesday, according to local sources.

Scores of people were also injured in the attack that targeted a school housing hundreds of displaced civilians in the town of Ain al-Tinah in Quneitra’s southern countryside, the sources said on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.

On Monday, forces of the Bashar al-Assad regime announced the capture of Daraa before advancing westward towards the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights region.

Opposition sources told Anadolu Agency on Monday that regime forces had entered the city of Hara, located roughly 20 kilometers from the border, after fierce fighting with opposition forces.

The regime offensive has caused a major displacement crisis in Daraa, with an estimated 350,000 civilians fleeing the province in recent days towards areas near the Jordanian border.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.

Following peace talks held last year in Astana, Daraa and Quneitra were both designated as “de-escalation zones” in which acts of aggression are prohibited.