Siege of Darayya and Muadamiyat
The siege of Darayya and Muadamiyat was launched by the Syrian Armed Forces in late 2012 after rebels took over most of the Damascus suburbs of Darayya and Muadamiyat al-Sham in November 2012. Since then, the power grid in the area was cut off as the government attempted to storm the towns multiple times. During the siege the towns were continuously hit by airstrikes from the Syrian Air Force. On 24 August 2016 it was confirmed that the rebels and the Syrian Government made a deal in which the rebels would leave the city. They would be able to leave and would be sent up to Idlib with their families. The rest of the civilians would be relocated. The town of Muadamiyat al-Sham was also surrendered on 19 October under a similar agreement. The siege 2015 The rebels in Darayya launched an offensive in early August 2015, after months of preparations, in an attempt to push back government forces from the town and possibly reach the nearby Mezzeh military airport which had been used to bomb Darayya. After three days of fighting, the rebels reportedly managed to seize several strategic buildings overlooking the airport. During the clashes, 23 rebel fighters died, while the rebels claimed to had killed 70 government soldiers. 2016 In late January 2016, the National Defence Force and the Syrian Republican Guard captured the road linking the two towns from the Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union, cutting the two rebel-held suburbs in two. Government forces also seized several buildings from the rebels. In late February, the Syrian Army launched an assault on Darayya and took over 20 buildings from Ajnad al-Sham, killing a rebel commander. The town was excluded from a 2-week country-wide ceasefire due to the presence of the al-Nusra Front, which is claimed by the government to control 1/5 of rebel-held Darayya. In May, ICRC trucks carrying infant formula, vaccines, and school supplies attempted to enter Darayya, but was turned back and denied entry by the 4th Armoured Division. On 1 June 5 trucks containing infant formula, vaccines, mosquito nets, shampoos, and wheelchairs was allowed entry in the town, with another convoy entering Muadamiyat. On the same day government forces shelled fields in the town, burning crops. On 6 June the Criterion Brigades launched an offensive called "At Your Service Darayya" in order to draw government forces from Darayya to reinforce the front in Quneitra. The Brigades allegedly seized 2 villages, which was denied by the National Defence Forces. Later that month on 9–10 June the first convoy of food aid since 2012 was delivered to Darayya by the World Food Programme and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. The convoy included bags of flour to last for 4,000 people a month and other food to feed 2,400 a month. Around 8,000 people still live in the town. However, the town was hit by multiple barrel bombs on the same day. On the 16th, the government forces dropped 12 barrel bombs and advanced 42 blocks in the