Syrian government forces seized vast swaths of territory including farmland in the opposition-held suburbs of Damascus on Wednesday, effectively dividing the besieged enclave in two and further squeezing rebels and tens of thousands of civilians trapped inside, state media and a war monitor reported. - Associated Press
A second aid convoy will attempt to reach desperate residents of Syria's Eastern Ghouta rebel enclave later Thursday after weeks of pummeling by government forces and Russian warplanes in defiance of UN calls for a halt to violence. - Agence France Presse
The Syrian army is poised to slice rebel-held eastern Ghouta in two as forces advancing from the east link up with troops at the enclave’s western edge, a pro-Damascus military commander said on Thursday. - Reuters
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Thursday pressed Russia and Iran to use their influence over Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad to ensure Damascus respects a U.N. resolution calling for a 30-day ceasefire. - Reuters