Syrian army tanks and warplanes pounded besieged Mleiha east of Damascus Friday, as it pressed a campaign to take control of the opposition-held town.
Fierce fighting raged on the outskirts of Mleiha as rebels tried to defend the town, a day after 22 opposition fighters were killed in the army’s bombardment.
Much of the Eastern Ghouta area east of Damascus has been under army siege for nearly six months. Mleiha is strategically located near regime-held Jaramana, which frequently comes under rebel shelling.
Rebel activists say “Assad’s regime has been trying for two days to storm” Mleiha. however the assault “is being repelled by the (rebel) Free Syrian Army.”
