More than 3 million civilians in Aleppo face a humanitarian crisis

Syrian Revolution News Round- zu / Day 544 –  More than three million people in the city of Aleppo are facing a looming humanitarian disaster after the city’s main drinking water pipeline was destroyed in airstrike by regime forces. Floods swept through a number of neighbourhoods drowning many houses and commercial establishments.

Following heavy losses sustained by the regime after rebel fighters captured a big part of the Hanano barrack in the city of Aleppo, regime forces intensified their aerial attacks on residential areas leaving more than 50 people dead and dozens more wounded in the neighbourhoods of Halwaniya and Sha’aar only. Scores of civilians were reported dead and more were injured as regime forces resumed their heavy bombardment in neighbourhoods of al-Bab Road, Bustan Qaser, Maidan, Suleiman Halabi, Arqoub, Sakhour and Masaken Hanano as well as the provincial towns of Baza’aa, Ma’arrat Artiq and Kafar Hamar.

Regime forces carried out several summary executions across the country, murdering 17 civilians in the neighbourhood of Jadat Khandaq in Aleppo and nine more in the Daraa suburb of Herak. As for Damascus, they murdered 15 civilians in the town of Douma and 12 others in the neighbourhood of Tadamon.

Fighting resumed in the neighbourhoods of Qadam, Qaboun and Barzeh in the capital. Regime forces also resumed shelling the neighbourhoods of Hajar Aswad, Kafarsouseh groves, Tadamon, Asali and Yarmouk refugee camp leaving dozens of people dead including five Palestinians. Dozens more were killed and others injured as regime forces bombarded the provincial towns of Hejeira, Zabdani, Artouz, Sayeda Zeinba and Nashabiya. They also carried out sweeps and arbitrary arrests in the towns of Aqraba, Bait Sahem and Bibila.

Regime forces also continued their massive military offensive throughout the country, killing dozens of civilians, wounding hundreds others and forcing thousands of them to flee their homes. Regime forces fiercely shelled the neighbourhoods of Jouret Sheyah, Jobar and Sultaniya in the city of Homs as well as its provincial towns of Krak Des Chevalier, Rastan, Houleh and Qosayr. They also resumed shelling the village of Sahl al-Ghab district in the suburbs of Hama as well as the provincial towns of Latamna and Kafarzeita. They heavily bombarded several neighbourhoods in the city of Deir Azzour as well as its provincial towns of Boukamal, Shahil, Mohasan and Baqara. They resumed shelling the Daraa suburbs of Bosra, Wadi Yarmouk, Heit, Yadouda and the village of the Lajat district as well as the Idlib suburbs of Sarmin, Ma’arrat Noman, Khan Sheikhoun, Kafartakharim, Qourin and Saraqeb.

During a meeting by EU foreign ministers in Cyprus, Cypriot Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis said that EU foreign ministers agreed on the need to beef up sanctions against Assad’s regime. She added that sanction will be imposed soon and maybe next month.