On the anniversary of the targeting of Eastern Ghouta with chemical weapons.. Washington calls for the Syrian regime to be held accountable, and the bombing is renewed on Idlib and Daraa

On the eighth anniversary of the bombing of Eastern Ghouta with chemical weapons, Washington called for the Syrian regime to be held accountable, while two civilians were killed in new attacks by the regime and Russia on Daraa and Idlib.

In a statement published today, Saturday, on the anniversary of the 2013 chemical attacks on Ghouta, in the vicinity of the capital, Damascus, the US State Department said that the atrocities of the Syrian regime, many of them amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The ministry renewed Washington's determination to ensure that users of these weapons do not go unpunished.

She revealed that the United States has estimated that the regime of President Bashar al-Assad has used chemical weapons against the Syrian people at least 50 times since the conflict began in 2011.

The US State Department reiterated its continued call for the Syrian regime to destroy its chemical weapons program, and the need to support efforts to find a political solution in line with UN Security Council Resolution No. 2254.

Bombardment of Idlib and Daraa

On the ground, Al-Jazeera correspondent quoted the Syrian opposition as saying that a Russian air strike targeted today, Saturday, Jabal Al-Zawiya in the southern countryside of Idlib (northwestern Syria).

Since the beginning of June, about 70 Syrian civilians - including 29 children - have been killed in the bombing of Idlib by the regime and Russia forces, according to Syrian activists.

In a separate development, local sources told Al-Jazeera that at least one person was killed and others wounded in artillery shelling by the Syrian regime forces on the besieged neighborhoods of Daraa city.

The sources added that the bombing caused widespread damage to buildings and property.

She added that the bombing coincided with clashes between fighters from the people of Daraa and the regime forces backed by militias loyal to Iran on the outskirts of the besieged neighborhoods.

This comes despite the continuation of negotiations between the Houran clans and the Syrian regime, with Russian mediation, to reach a solution that ends the siege of the city and stops the military operations that have been going on for nearly two months.