敘利亞兩城市再陷戰火 大量居民逃離
Thousands of residents in Syria's two largest cities fled their neighborhoods Thursday to escape violence, as the military built up its presence around rebel strongholds in Aleppo and renewed attacks on parts of Damascus.
隨着敘利亞政府軍在阿勒頗市(Aleppo)的多個反對派據點增大兵力，並對大馬士革部分地區發起新一輪進攻，這兩座敘利亞最大城市的成千上萬名居民週四爲躲避暴力活動逃離所居住的城區。Residents of two Damascus suburbs said government forces bombed their neighborhoods overnight with fighter jets and helicopters. Across the capital, extended families fleeing the Daraya, Qudsaya and the Yalda suburbs piled into public schools, vacant apartment blocks and cheap hotels.
大馬士革城外兩個郊區的居民說，政府軍整夜用戰鬥機和直升機轟炸他們居住的地區。在首都各地，逃離達拉雅(Daraya)、庫德西亞(Qudsaya)和耶爾達(Yalda)地區的大家庭擠在公立學校、空置的住宅樓和廉價旅店中。The latest attacks shattered a three-day calm that had settled on the capital as the battle between government and opposition forces had appeared to shift to Aleppo, about 220 miles north.
隨着政府軍與反對派之間的戰鬥似乎已轉向首都以北約220英里（約合350公里）的阿勒頗，首都暫時恢復了平靜。但最新的進攻打破了剛剛維持了三天的平靜。
In both Damascus and Aleppo, the conflict is localized-with some districts under heavy shelling while bordering neighborhoods are unscathed. In Basateen al-Mezze, on Damascus's western edge, a tank assault last week turned a narrow, winding road of low-rise homes into an open area of collapsed concrete, contorted metal and crushed cars. Amid the rubble was an inflatable baby pool, a swing and a melon rotting in the summer sun.
在大馬士革和阿勒頗，雙方的交戰都是局域性的，一些地區遭受了猛烈的炮擊，而相鄰的地區卻未受到攻擊。在大馬士革西部的Basateen al-Mezze，上週發動的一場坦克進攻將一排蜿蜒排布的低層住宅夷爲平地，到處是殘破的鋼筋混凝土、變形的金屬和汽車。盛夏陽光下的廢墟中，可以看到一個充氣嬰兒泳池、一個鞦韆和一個正在腐爛的瓜。In most parts of the capital, however, many Syrians have for days praised the return of relative normalcy after Damascus was paralyzed last week by a government offensive against opposition fighters.
不過，在首都的大部分地區，很多敘利亞人數日來一直對局勢相對恢復正常表示讚許。上週，大馬士革在政府軍對反對派發起的進攻中陷入癱瘓後。The reprieve appeared short-lived. Starting in the late afternoon, deep booms from artillery attacks on a handful of suburbs, as well as two districts in the southern part of Damascus, reverberated across the city.
但平靜的局勢只持續了很短一段時間。從週四傍晚開始，城外幾個地區和大馬士革南部兩個地區轟隆隆的炮聲開始迴盪在整個城市上空。Many shops closed early. Streets emptied before nightfall. Government soldiers manned impromptu security checkpoints built from cinder blocks and tree-branches, blocking two highways that ring the city. 'My fear is it's the calm before the storm,' said a mother of three in Malki, an upscale Damascus neighborhood.
很多店鋪提前關門。夜幕降臨前街道就早已空無一人。政府軍用爐渣磚和樹枝搭設了臨時安全檢查點，並配備了人員，封鎖了環繞大馬士革的兩條高速公路。大馬士革高檔城區Malki的一位有三個孩子的母親說，我擔心這是暴風雨前的平靜。Opponents of President Bashar al-Assad have framed their recent advances into Damascus and Aleppo as decisive battles. But the rebel movement into the two largest cities appears to be more like a trickle in a conflict that is already killing dozens daily and displacing thousands across the rest of the country. 'Every day, it looks more like a war of attrition,' said a Western diplomat in Damascus.
總統阿薩德(Bashar al-Assad)的反對者將其最近在大馬士革和阿勒頗取得的進展標榜爲決定性的戰役。不過，反對派進軍兩大城市的勢頭似乎更像是涓涓細流。目前敘利亞其他地區的戰鬥每日造成數十人死亡，數千人無家可歸。一位在大馬士革的西方外交人士說，每天都是如此，看起來更像是一場消耗戰。At least 163 rebels, government forces and civilians died in Thursday's fighting, according to U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Most of the casualties were reported in Aleppo and the Damascus suburbs. State media said government forces were 'closing in on the terrorists and cleansing many areas' around the country.
據位於英國的敘利亞人權觀察組織(Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)說，有至少163名反對派、政府軍和平民在週四的交戰中死亡。據報道大部分傷亡發生在阿勒頗和大馬士革的郊區。敘利亞國有媒體說，政府軍正在圍剿恐怖分子，肅清敘利亞國內的諸多地區。
