Regime forces targeted several towns with hundreds of rockets, according to the SOHR.

:: Around 14 people were killed and over 75 injured in the latest air raids and artillery attacks by the Assad regime on eastern Ghouta, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.

The observatory added that among those killed many were women and children. The attacks came as an escalation by regime forces as a prelude to the large-scale military operation aimed at ending the control of opposition factions in eastern Ghouta.

Regime forces targeted several towns with hundreds of rockets, according to the SOHR, where more than 270 rockets were fired within hours of the attack.

The Assad regime sent military reinforcements surrounding Ghouta which indicates that an imminent attack will occur against the remaining opposition factions, the SOHR said.

The latest wave of air raids came after a weary calm in Ghouta which coincided with talks between the Assad regime and the opposition that were mediated by Russia.