Hundreds of people are fleeing advances by Syrian government forces in eastern Ghouta, a war monitor and a resident said on Sunday, as Damascus presses an offensive to crush the last major rebel stronghold near the capital.
Government forces are thrusting into the besieged rebel enclave from its eastern edge in an apparent bid to split it in two - a pattern of attack used repeatedly by Damascus and its allies in the war entering its eighth year.
Orient TV, which supports the opposition to President Bashar al-Assad, said advances by pro-Assad forces had triggered large-scale displacement. People were seeking shelter in areas closer to the center of the eastern Ghouta, said the resident, who estimated thousands were on the move.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based organization which reports on the war, estimated that between 300 to 400 families had fled, adding that government bombardment was focused on the town of Mesraba.
Damascus, backed by Russia and Iran, has been waging one of the deadliest offensives of the war in eastern Ghouta, killing hundreds of people in a fierce air and artillery bombardment over the last two weeks.
The UN Security Council demanded a 30-day countrywide ceasefire a week ago, but this has failed to take effect.

Syrians flee government advances in eastern Ghouta
Government forces are thrusting into the besieged rebel enclave from its eastern edge in an apparent bid to split it in two. (File photo: AP)
Reuters, Beirut
Sunday 04 March 2018
Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:56 - GMT 06:56
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