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Syria Defies UN Cease-Fire Resolution
(Washington Post) Liz Sly - Syrian government forces defied a new UN Security Council resolution calling for a cease-fire on Sunday by launching a ground offensive and airstrikes, including at least one bomb laden with chlorine, against the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta suburb of Damascus. Warplanes and artillery pounded the area, killing at least 22. On Saturday, the Security Council unanimously approved a 30-day cease-fire which was to go into effect "without delay." To secure the support of Russia, the language of the resolution was diluted to exclude unspecified "terrorists." Maj. Gen. Mohammed Hossein Baqeri, chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, said the suburbs of Damascus would not be included in the cease-fire because they are "under terrorists' control."