War Remnants Grip Syria’s Eastern Ghouta

The influx of civilians from Eastern Ghouta to escape the battles in the spring of 2018 (UNICEF)
The influx of civilians from Eastern Ghouta to escape the battles in the spring of 2018 (UNICEF)
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War Remnants Grip Syria’s Eastern Ghouta

The influx of civilians from Eastern Ghouta to escape the battles in the spring of 2018 (UNICEF)
The influx of civilians from Eastern Ghouta to escape the battles in the spring of 2018 (UNICEF)

It has been four years since the Syrian regime fully recaptured Eastern Ghouta in the Damascus countryside. However, residents of the area still suffer from the hazardous waste left behind by years of war and besiegement.

Moreover, Ghouta residents face a tight security grip by regime forces that sees the forced drafting of youth into the army.

Local sources in Ghouta said a man and a child were killed, and another child was injured in the town of Hamouriya when a cluster bomb left over from the war exploded.

Two days earlier, another child was killed, and two other children were wounded in a similar blast while they were playing in Harasta.

The death and two injuries were reported by the city council on Friday.

According to previous World Health Organization (WHO) reports, more than eight million Syrians are at risk from mines and remnants of war, including three million Syrian children who are at risk of death or disfigurement.

Similar reports by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) indicate that the number of victims of mines and remnants of war in Syria has reached more than 12,000, 35% of whom were killed, and 65% were injured.

According to the ICRC, children make up 25% of the victims.

So far, the Syrian regime does not show any seriousness in removing the remnants of war from the areas over which it has regained control. Instead, it is working to strengthen its security grip over the areas and drive more recruitment into the army.

Media sources reported that security patrols had launched a house raid campaign in the town of Jisreen on Friday to capture those wanted for compulsory and reserve military service.

News website “Voice of the Capital” said that the patrols set up four temporary checkpoints in the town.



Suspected US Airstrikes in Yemen Kill at Least 4 People Near Hodeidah

A man holds a rifle as protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, rally to mark the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Sanaa, Yemen March 28, 2025. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
A man holds a rifle as protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, rally to mark the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Sanaa, Yemen March 28, 2025. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
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Suspected US Airstrikes in Yemen Kill at Least 4 People Near Hodeidah

A man holds a rifle as protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, rally to mark the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Sanaa, Yemen March 28, 2025. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
A man holds a rifle as protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, rally to mark the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Sanaa, Yemen March 28, 2025. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

Suspected US airstrikes battered Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into Wednesday, with the militias saying that one strike killed at least four people near the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.

The intense campaign of airstrikes in Yemen under US President Donald Trump, targeting the militias over their attacks on shipping in Mideast waters stemming from the Israel-Hamas war, has killed at least 65 people, according to casualty figures released by the Houthis.

The campaign appears to show no signs of stopping as the Trump administration again linked their airstrikes on the Iranian-backed Houthis to an effort to pressure Iran over its rapidly advancing nuclear program. While so far giving no specifics about the campaign and its targets, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt put the overall number of strikes on Tuesday at more than 200.

“Iran is incredibly weakened as a result of these attacks, and we have seen they have taken out Houthi leaders,” Leavitt said. “They’ve taken out critical members who were launching strikes on naval ships and on commercial vessels and this operation will not stop until the freedom of navigation in this region is restored.”

Overnight, a likely US airstrike targeted what the Houthis described as a “water project” in Hodeidah governorate's Mansuriyah District, killing four people and wounding others. Other strikes into Wednesday targeted Hajjah, Saada and Sanaa governorates, the militias said.