Warplanes kill man in charge of Euphrates dam management

Syrian regime forces targeted with heavy machine guns areas in the outskirts of Jisreen and Kafarbatna in the eastern city of Ghouta, on Wednesday. There were also clashes between regime forces and Islamic factions in western Qalmoun accompanied by the bombing of regime forces on the areas of engagement and areas of the presence of factions, without information about casualties.

A child was killed on her injures in a bombardment of warplanes on areas in the city of Khan Sheikun a few days ago in the southern countryside of Idlib. The regime forces shelled this morning areas in the villages of al-Shir, Arzah, Belehsin, al-Majdal and Dahrat al-Shiha in the northwestern countryside of Hama,  with more than 60 raids, but no information about injuries until the moment. Syrian helicopter dropped this morning explosive barrels on areas in Souran town in the northern countryside of Hama causing material damage.

The eastern neighborhoods of the capital are witnessing since this morning escalation by the regime forces and warplanes, which targeted the neighborhoods of Qaboun, Jobar and Teshreen east of Damascus, where he the regime forces launched about 10 rockets believed to be ground-to-ground on areas in the neighborhoods of Qaboun and Teshreen and the eastern outskirts of Jobar and other places in its surrounding farms.

Meanwhile, warplanes carried out more than 9 raids targeted areas in Jobar neighborhood, in conjunction with the launching more than 15 shells on areas in the outskirts of Damascus, no information about casualties, while several explosive bullets fell on areas in Fayha’a highway in the capital, no information about injuries until the moment.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) was informed by reliable sources that warplanes believed to belong to the International Coalition are the ones which targeted and killed the Syrian engineer Ahmed Hussein – the man in charge of running the Euphrates Dam and managing it with another technician in al-Tabaqa area in the western countryside of Al-Raqqah, and in the details obtained by the Syrian Observatory for human rights: the targeting of Al-Hussein took place at 2:30 am on the 28th of March 2017 (Syria time), where he was targeted with a group that accompanying him including other technicians from the technical team of the Euphrates Dam in al-Tabaqa housing area by warplanes believed to belong to the International Coalition. 

The sources confirmed to the observatory that the targeting took place when al-Hussein was getting out of one of the buildings in al-Tabaqa housing area accompanied by 12 other persons. The death of al-Hussein with another technician was confirmed while others were injured, and the fate of the other targeted persons of the group is still unknown until this moment.

SOHR learned that a widespread escalated resentment prevails Madaya city, which is besieged by the regime and the Lebanese Hezbollah in the northwest of Rif Dimashq, and reliable sources inside the city confirmed that discontent was raised because of the process of demographic change in the areas of Madaya and Zabadani in the northwest of Rif Dimashq, which will be initiated by an agreement with Iran and support by Qatar.

The agreement about Zabadani and Madaya in the Rif Dimashq, Kafriya and Al-Fu’ah in the northeastern countryside of Idlib and Yarmouk camp south of the capital Damascus states:

"Complete evacuation for Kafriya and Al-Fu’ah in duration of 60 days in two phases in exchange for:

- Evacuating Zabadani and the families of Zabadani and Madaya and in the surrounding areas to the north.

- Cease-fire in the areas around al-Fu’ah and the area of south of the capital (Yalda, Babila and Beit Sahem).

- A truce for a period of 9 months in the areas mentioned above.

- Entering non-stop humanitarian aid to the mentioned areas, in addition to aid to al-Wa’er neighborhood in Homs.

- Evacuating 1500 captives from the prisons of the regime of those who were detained due to events related to the revolution (in the second phase of the agreement) without specifying the names (because of the difficulty of negotiating the file with the regime) .

- Providing mutual lists by both parties for the numbers and names of the prisoners to work on the exchange.

- Evacuating Yarmouk camp (fighters to al-Nusra in the area)."

The crossed sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that it is expected at 12 am of 29th of March 2017 for a ceasefire to start in the areas of Madaya, Zabadani, Al-Fu’ah, Kafriya, south of Damascus and the southern countryside of the capital, also a goodwill gesture between the agreeing parties of Jaish al-Fateh, the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Iranians.

The agreement will be implemented on the 4th of April 2017.