DAMASCUS, Syria — It seems that the Syrian regime has decided to exclude the Jobar neighborhood from the deals it made this year with the opposition in areas around the capital. On Aug. 28, government forces attacked the rebel stronghold of Jobar, near Damascus. Al-Monitor witnessed the heavy air and artillery shelling of the neighborhood as well as a massive military buildup at its entrances.

The shelling could be heard all over Damascus. Smoke filled the sky above the capital and the rockets launched toward Jobar were clearly visible to the residents of neighboring areas such as Bab Touma, al-Qasaa and Abbasid Square, one of the largest squares in Damascus. The neighborhood’s entrances were filled with army tanks and soldiers were stationed on the outskirts of Zablatani, adjacent to al-Hal market, southwest of Jobar.

The soldiers imposed a siege on the neighborhood from three main points, most notably in the east — which is linked to the opposition’s stronghold in Eastern Ghouta — making it impossible to access the neighborhood.

The regime’s air raids over the neighborhood were nonstop. More than 10 raids a day were launched, according to Abu Mohammed al-Dimashqi, an opposition activist in Jobar. He told Al-Monitor over Skype, “This is the first time the regime uses unknown types of rockets. They are powerful explosive rockets loaded with parachutes. However, the rebels were able to fight off the regime forces’ attacks and caused them serious damage.”