DAMASCUS, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Civilians in the rebel-held towns of Hamouriyeh and Sqaba in the capital Damascus' Eastern Ghouta countryside raised the Syrian flags in their area on Tuesday, welcoming the Syrian troops that are advancing in their direction, according to pro-government Sham FM radio.
Photos circulated online and also aired on the state TV in Syria showed young men, with a blur over their faces, raising the Syrian flags in Hamouriyeh.
The report said the civilians are welcoming the Syrian troops, expressing readiness to open the road for the Syrian army to reach their area.
It added that the rebels in the towns are ready to lay down their weapons to avert their area a military operation.
This comes as the Syrian forces are making sweeping victories in Eastern Ghouta, a sprawling agriculture area constituting several towns and villages that fell to the rebels in 2012.
The War Media, the media wing in the Syrian army and allied forces, said the Syrian forces captured 40 percent of Eastern Ghouta over the past few days.
The Syrian and Russian side have been calling for civilians to spare themselves the tough situation in Eastern Ghouta by securing a humanitarian corridor between Wafidin area in northeast Damascus and Eastern Ghouta.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Monday that the military operation is ongoing in Eastern Ghouta in tandem with the humanitarian pause to allow civilians to seek safety.
Also, humanitarian aid convoys entered the rebel-held Douma district in Eastern Ghouta on Tuesday, the first to enter since the UN Security Council adopted a resolution on Feb. 24 for a 30-day-long humanitarian ceasefire in Syria that was followed by a Russian-backed daily humanitarian pause.
