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VIDEO OF A neighbourhood outside the Syrian capital Damascus has provided a rare glimpse into the staggering scale of destruction that years of fighting has inflicted around the city, seat of President Bashar Assad’s power.
The drone footage was shot over the district of Jobar by RTR war correspondent Yevgeny Poddubny on Sunday and obtained by The Associated Press. An edited version can be watched below.
The video shows entire neighbourhoods of bombed-out residential buildings, most of them with gaping holes and others with their top floors collapsed.
Mushrooms of thick gray smoke billow out as targets are blasted, presumably by Syrian warplanes.
Thousands of Syrian army airstrikes and barrel bombs dropped from army helicopters throughout the country’s civil war have reduced entire opposition neighbourhoods to rubble.
Most are in central and northern Syria, and some are in the eastern suburbs of Damascus where the rebels have been entrenched for several years.
The destruction in Jobar revealed by the drone video is the closest seen so far to the Syrian capital, where Assad retains a firm grip on power.
Syrian troops have been fighting rebels in the frontline district, which lies only a few miles from the presidential palace, since 2013.
Neither side has been able to make a breakthrough in the fighting, although state media has reported Syrian army advances in the last week as part of a major army offensive.
Artillery shells and airstrikes on Jobar shake Damascus on a daily basis.
The video shows an elaborate network of long trenches used by rebels in the conflict. It also shows gunmen running from building to building as they try to dodge artillery and aerial bombardment.
On a bombed-out dusty street, two tanks are seen firing artillery almost simultaneously.
Jobar is part of the eastern suburbs of Damascus known as Eastern Ghouta, which has been held by rebels for years.
The video is the first imagery that shows the scale of destruction from the air.
Contains reporting by the Associated Press.
Ray D’arcy 2nd from the bottom ? And what was his starting salary with RTE…… 200K?? Hardly money well spent.
Well done Anton Savage on Today FM … ahead of Ray in listenership ….after taking over his seat on a slightly lower,salary I’m sure!
Ray D’arcy is full of his own self importance. I thought we were rid of him when Enda Kenny was elected Taoiseach. That was the only reason I voted for Fine Gael. Ray, like the good politician he is, was just talking rubbish and looking for attention.
He’s part of the RTE elite…Miriam Callaghan etc….if they were that good they should go to UK.
Ah now, leave Miriam out of this. Miriam works her socks off. Not bad to look at either. Fantastic chest.
After all these years I still cannot explain the popularity of Joe Duffy…..
People love a medium to moan, his voice encourages it. Perfect marketing in Ireland.
A bit like the journal
Classic hits 4fm
Boom! You said it Helen
I’m liking Sean Moncrief more and more these days. It’s most still against my will. Perhaps it’s Stockholm syndrome having being captive in the car listening to him so much. Anyway in general I much rather radio. It allows me to do other things whilst being entertained or informed.
there a shower of overpaid morons in RTE how they can justify their wages is crazy that’s why the licence is so high ,you know if they shut down the station most of us would be €160 a year better off and we still would not be at a loss for entertainment
when u have a never ending budget u can hire whoever u like to make ratings .
What the JNLR don’t tell us is how much time we are spending listening to radio….
National Radio is a straight choice between either Communicorp or RTE….either way the listener doesn’t benefit, from Current Affairs programs that is…
We need new media as much as we need a new political infrastructure!!!
JNLR DOES actually tell us how much time we spend listening to radio – around 4 hours a day.
I ONLY listen to Radio Nova – although NOT a National Radio Station – at least I get decent music without the CRAP the Biggie Boyos dish out to an unsuspecting National populace. AND I don’t have to listen to inane DJs pretending to understand politics or some pseudo-nationalistic beliefs …
an insult to the real NOVA 87 FM AND 819 AM!
88
Radio Nova seem to have a playlist of 100 songs on a loop.
“..Radio Nova…playing all over Dublin…. Nowwwwww ….”
Great station, great memories
Chris Carey RIP
BBC RADIO 2 via tunein radio app
They say in the heading that size matters in radio land what do they mean big smile or big tits
i don’t get ray darcy on rte 1 i get the impression that he thinks he just has to turnup
What big eyes you have Miriam. …..lol
Any chance of getting that moron Marty Whelan off Lyric FM? It’s supposed to be a “classical music” station not “Housewives’ Choice”!
Nova with pat Courtney. He’s brilliant!!!
Way to ignore all the regional and local radio stations – in many areas, they easily have 40-66% of the Audience share in the places they broadcast to. But yet none of them merit any praise?
talksport via tunein radio for me.
Where’s Stevo from Sunshine Radio gone ?
Why don’t they contact me when they do theses so called survey s and I will b able to tel them why I don’t listen to RTE radio I prefer independent radio from round d country coz it gives me local stories in Dublin especially radio Kerry from 9am each morning
Absolute Radio
Marty Whelan is pure genius. So happy he’s on Lyric in the morning. There is no competitor to him to my mind. Lyric overall is a great station, John Kelly Ensemble, Jazz, Movies and Musicals, Niall Carroll etc., etc. a great mix. I predict Lyric’s star will continue to rise into the future. Its a bit undiscovered maybe. Marty is introducing people more and more to it.
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