An Assad regime military checkpoint in the eastern Ghouta in Damascus countryside was reportedly attacked on Sunday evening by unknown persons with weapons including knives and axes.

"The barrier that was attacked was located in the vicinity of the city of Arbin in Eastern Ghouta; as a result, four people were wounded, and one of them was said to be in critical condition," revealed Call Syria, citing local sources.

The Voice of the Capital website reported that the Assad regime had subsequently carried out raids on dozens of homes in the area near the checkpoint, arresting five young men.

The Assad regime extended its control over Eastern Ghouta in 2018, after besieging and bombing the area for years, as well as using chemical weapons against its residents; many of the survivors are now either internally displaced in northern Syria or refugees outside the country. Since restoring control over the cities of Ghouta, the regime’s checkpoints are habitually attacked by unknown persons. According to the ‘Voice of the Capital’ website, 12 regime checkpoints were attacked in January and February this year alone.

- Call Syria and agencies