Syrian state media say rebel shelling of Damascus has killed 2 women, wounded 26 people

DAMASCUS, Syria – Syria's state-run new agency says rebel shelling of Damascus has killed two women and wounded 26 people, including 16 students.

The SANA news agency says rebel groups based in the eastern suburb of Damascus known as Ghouta shelled several areas there on Wednesday, including a college that specializes in religious and Arabic studies.

The two women were killed in shells that struck Bab Touma, a predominantly Christian neighborhood of the Syrian capital. Nine people were wounded in that attack.

Rebels entrenched in the suburbs of Damascus routinely target the city with mortar shells in retaliation for the army's aerial bombardment of opposition-held areas.