Syria kills more than 200 civilians in strikes against rebels

More than 200 people died in the last four days during intensified bombing by government forces in the Syrian rebel-held enclave of eastern Ghouta. The fighting marks the region’s bloodiest week since 2015, according to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Renewed clashes began after a national dialogue brokered by Russia failed to finalize peace talks. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 229 people, including 58 children and 43 women, died in the rebel enclave along the outskirts of the capital city of Damascus. In December, the United Nations said about 400,000 civilians remain trapped in the area, with limited food supplies and access to healthcare. The UN and the United States both called for a cease-fire, but Russia, Syria’s main ally, called that unrealistic. “We would like to see a cease-fire, the end of war, but the terrorists, I am not sure, are in agreement,” said Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s UN envoy.