Syrian Regime Tests U.N. Cease-Fire With Further Strikes on Ghouta

Mortar shells and airstrikes kill at least 20 civilians, local doctors and activists say, following deadly week

Cameras worn by Syria’s White Helmet rescuers document the government forces' attacks on rebel-held Eastern Ghouta. Photo: Mohammed Badra/EPA-EFE Photo: Mohammed Badra/EPA-EFE

Raja Abdulrahim and

Raja Abdulrahim

The Wall Street Journal

Biography Raja Abdulrahim
@RajaAbdulrahim
raja.abdulrahim@wsj.com

Nour Alakraa

Updated Feb. 25, 2018 2:40 p.m. ET

The Syrian regime continued to bomb the besieged area of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus on Sunday, residents and activists said, posing an immediate challenge to the United Nations Security Council’s call for a nationwide cease-fire.

Mortar shells and airstrikes killed at least 20 civilians, according to local doctors and activists, adding to one of Ghouta’s deadliest weeks during the war. At least 580 civilians have been killed since last Monday, according to the Unified Relief Office in Eastern Ghouta, a local group overseeing...