A woman and child were killed on Tuesday when regime warplanes pounded the city of Douma, northeastern the capital, local activists said.
The regime forces stepped up its aerial and ground bombardment on the eastern suburbs of Damascus despite the beginning of fifth round of Astana talks that seek to end the six-year Syrian conflict, focused on shoring up a plan for safe zones in the war-torn country.
Sources revealed that Mohammed Alloush, former head of the delegation to Geneva and Astana had refused to attend Astana round, saying the previous meetings were fruitless and a waste of time as Syrian forces stepped up aerial and ground bombing on the agreed de-escalation zones.
Southern Front, key rebel alliance in Daraa province, has also refused to attend the fifth round despite the army announcement to suspend combat operations in southern Syria until Thursday.
The two days of meetings are then set to involve a string of bilateral talks before a plenary session bringing together all the participants on Wednesday.
An agreement signed by regime backers Moscow and Tehran and opposition-backer Ankara to carve out four "de-escalation zones" in Syria was seen as a potential breakthrough towards calming a conflict that has claimed an estimated 470,000 lives.
The deal laid out the areas where opposition and regime forces should halt hostilities, including air strikes, for six months. More than 2.5 million people are believed to live in the zones
