Like a madman, I jumped out of bed, awakened by the horrendous sound of a violent blast that shook the room. The doors opened wide and the glass windows shattered. I rushed out of the bedroom, but it was only after hearing the roar of the warplanes that I realized what had happened. This was how my day started at 8 a.m. Jan. 11, in the town of Hawar in the western countryside of Aleppo.
My friend Mansour Hussein hurried down the stairs from his room on the top floor. He was barefoot and terrified. As usual, he was holding his camera and chasing the smoke caused by the bombing. I followed him to the targeted location, which was only a few meters away. A rocket had hit a deserted house and turned it into rubble.