Thousands of civilians have fled the advances by the Syrian forces in Eastern Ghouta in the past two days, a war monitor and a resident said, as Damascus makes rapid gains against the last major rebel enclave near the capital.
Government forces need to advance just a few more kilometres further to split the enclave in two, said a commander in the alliance that backs Assad.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said government forces had seized around a quarter of Eastern Ghouta in a ground assault that began on February 27, building on a ferocious air and artillery bombardment that has killed hundreds.
One of the main insurgent groups in Eastern Ghouta, Jaish al-Islam, said the "scorched earth policy" had forced rebels to retreat and regroup, but vowed to recover lost territory.
- Reuters, AAP
