Syria warplanes bomb Palestinian refugee camp, ‘killing twenty-five'

A Palestinian refugee camp in southern Damascus was bombarded by Syrian warplanes on Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The activists said at least 25 people were killed. Yarmouk, in southern Damascus, is part of an arc sweeping from the east to southwest of the Syrian capital where Assad’s forces have been trying for several weeks to push back rebels from the gates of his power base.

Warplanes also bombarded the nearby districts of Al-Hajar al-Aswad and Assali, scene of intense fighting between troops and rebels, it added.

“The army feels it has to step up its campaign to suppress the insurgency in southern Damascus, and that it cannot fight off rebels without resorting to air power,” said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.

“As for the Palestinians, they are divided over the conflict, and are fighting on both sides,” he added.

Although the watchdog reported the attack as a first since the start of Syria’s more than 21-month conflict, in August, the Observatory said at least 21 civilians were killed in shelling by the Syrian regime forces.