Syria Conflict: The fire and fury in Eastern Ghouta

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CGTN's Alaa Ebrahim takes a look at what makes part of the capital's countryside the scene of some of the worst acts of war violence.

The rebels had a primary goal since 2011 to get to Damascus. They tried to do so using protests, and then armed attacks. And when all of that failed, they settled for the next closest thing. Eastern Ghouta is one of the largest and the closest rebel-held areas to the capital. Its location allows rebels to mount several attacks on Damascus and its suburbs – from way back in 2012 till most recently.

The enclave is held by several rebel factions: Islam army, al-Rahman Legion and al-Nusra front – al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate. Their military weight in Ghouta has given these rebel factions a seat at the table in the Astana peace talks.

Eastern Ghouta has been one of four de-escalation zones in Syria since May 2017. But fighting in and around the region hasn't stopped. Rebels continue to shell Damascus with mortars and rockets, rendering it on several occasions a ghost town.

Since January this year, videos of Syrian army reinforcements heading to Damascus started surfacing. And many experts are saying this is the biggest, military build-up of the war.

The target is a large-scale military operation to take eastern Ghouta and on February 18, the scale of the offensive became clear. Daily air and artillery strikes that rebels say are unprecedented have claimed hundreds of civilians lives.

ALAA EBRAHIM DAMASCUS "This is Omayeen Square – the main square in Damascus, and it has become a target of constant rebel shelling. Residents hope the shelling of their city will stop soon. Though it is unclear how this fight will play out in upcoming days. Alaa Ebrahim, CGTN, Damascus."