Syria conducts 40 airstrikes on rebel positions in eastern Damascus

The Syrian air force carried out as many as 40 airstrikes against the rebels' positions in the eastern countryside of the capital Damascus on Thursday, reportedly killing 35 people, according to a monitoring group.

The strikes targeted the tense suburbs of Arbeen, Douma, Kafr Batna and Ayn Tarma, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

It said children and women were among those killed, adding that as high as 140 people were wounded as well, some of whom are in critical conditions.

The intensified airstrikes came against the backdrop of the mortar and rocket attacks launched by the so-called Islam Army early Thursday against residential neighborhoods inside the capital, mainly the upscale neighborhoods of Mazzeh, Malki, Tijara.

The Observatory said the Islam Army fired over 120 rockets on the government-controlled districts in the capital, killing and wounding around 60 people.

The state-run media outlets said rebels' mortars exploded at several districts in the northern province of Aleppo and Latakia as well, also leaving losses.

On Tuesday evening, head of the so-called Islam Army, Zahran Alloush, tweeted on his official Twitter account that he would target military and security positions in Damascus, warning the citizens against venturing out.

The warning came a week after the same person fired over 90 mortar rounds at the capital, leaving many people killed or wounded.

The tactic aimed to destabilize the daily life in the capital and instill fear in the hearts of residents in the capital.

He said the mortar attacks are also a retaliation against the government troops' shelling and airstrikes on rebel-held areas.

Alloush tweeted again on Thursday, saying that letting the Syrian forces "taste a bit of what the people of the Eastern Ghouta are feeling." "The attack would continue until we purge Damascus."

Separately, the state news agency SANA said Thursday that the Syrian troops recaptured 16 villages and farmlands in the countryside of the northern province of al-Qamishli after battles with the Islamic State (IS) militants. Enditem