U.N. Delivers Aid to Rebel Towns East of Syria Capital

The United Nations began delivering aid to three rebel towns east of Damascus on Friday, in the second distribution of assistance since a shaky truce began in Syria.

Speaking to reporters before entering the Eastern Ghouta opposition bastion, U.N. chief aid coordinator Yacoub El Hillo said the convoy included food, medical supplies and nutrition products for children.

The 23 trucks were to deliver the aid to 20,000 people living in the towns of Saqba, Ain Terma, and Hazzeh, he said.

"This delivery process will continue in the coming period, and we are completely ready, along with our partners... to take advantage of the favorable conditions these days since the fighting has noticeably decreased," Hillo told reporters. 

Eastern Ghouta, besieged by pro-government forces since 2013, was regularly and heavily bombarded by the regime, but had been relatively calm since a truce began Saturday. 

It was hit by air strikes on Friday for the first time since the ceasefire started. 

The first delivery of humanitarian assistance under the truce took place on Monday in Moadamiyet al-Sham, an encircled opposition town southwest of the capital.

Hillo said on Sunday he hoped the truce would allow aid to be delivered to 154,000 people over the following five days.

Syria's main opposition body, the High Negotiations Committee, has criticized both the regime and the United Nations for what it says are delayed and insufficient deliveries.

HNC head Riad Hijab said on Thursday that aid was "only entering very limited areas."

On Friday, Hillo admitted that aid deliveries were "just a drop in a huge ocean of needs," but said the U.N. was expecting further deliveries in the coming days to other towns in Eastern Ghouta.

On Thursday, Jan Egeland, special adviser for aid to the U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura, voiced hope that the ceasefire would "lead to a big leap forward... in reaching many hundreds of thousands more people".

"Considering how it has been, we are obviously making great progress, but there is a lot left to be done," he told AFP.