Syrian warplane strikes orphanage in Eastern Ghouta

By Burak Karacaoglu and Adham Kako

EASTERN GHOUTA/ANKARA

A Syrian warplane struck an orphanage in Eastern Ghouta suburb of Damascus on Saturday, according to a spokesman for the Turkish IHH humanitarian agency.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Selim Tosun said the attack targeted the “Hope Tree” orphanage, which accommodates 50 children.

The orphanage is run by IHH and Kuwait-based Zakat House organization.

“After the attack, children and 16 staff members sought shelter in the basement,” Tosun said, adding that the building had sustained damage in the attack.

No casualties were reported in the strike.

Since Nov. 14, Eastern Ghouta has been under intensive strikes by regime forces that left more than 90 people dead and hundreds injured.

The Syrian regime has been stepping up its attacks on Eastern Ghouta, even though the district falls within a network of de-escalation zones -- endorsed by Turkey, Russia and Iran -- in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

Syria has fallen into a devastating civil war in 2011 when the Assad al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the fighting and more than 10 million displaced, according to claims by the UN.