Aid delivery cut short in Damascus suburb

An aid convoy to the besieged area of eastern Ghouta had to evacuate under heavy government shelling and airstrikes Monday in Syria, the International Committee for the Red Cross said. It was the first shipment of humanitarian aid to the war zone outside Damascus since fighting intensified there weeks ago. Thirty-seven of 46 trucks unloaded their supplies before having to leave, Red Cross spokeswoman Ingy Sedky said. The United Nations estimates 400,000 people remain trapped in eastern Ghouta, where the government offensive killed some 80 people Monday, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Meanwhile, 32 people died when a Russian cargo plane crashed as it landed Tuesday at Hemeimeem air base, the hub Russian air operations in Syria. The Russian military said the plane did not come under fire but likely went down due to a technical error.