Image copyright EPA Image caption Dancers performed at the opening of the trade fair on Thursday

A rocket has struck close to the entrance of a trade fair in the Syrian capital, Damascus, Syrian media say.

The Damascus International Fair is being held for the first time since the Syrian conflict broke out in 2011.

Syrian TV said the rocket had caused casualties. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said five people had died.

The fair, which has another 10 days to run, had been a key business event before the Syrian conflict broke out.

Its general director, Fares al-Kartally, told AFP news agency earlier in the week that holding the fair, which opened on Thursday, reflected "the return of calm and stability in most regions" and would "signal the start of [the country's] reconstruction".

State television reported the attack without giving specific casualties.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said about a dozen people had been injured in addition to the five dead.

Damascus has been spared the worst of the conflict, which recent de-escalation zones have eased further, but has suffered missile attacks from rebels.

Syria's war has left more than 330,000 people dead and has displaced millions more.</s>A picture taken on August 10, 2017, shows people walking past the grounds of the Damascus International Fair

Rocket fire injured several people Sunday near the entrance to the Damascus International Fair, a key business gathering being held for the first time in five years, Syrian television said.

State television, citing its reporters on the scene, said the rocket hit near the entrance of the exhibition complex where the business fair opened this week.

The breaking news alert gave no details on the number of injured or the source of the rocket fire, and there was no immediate mention of the incident on state news agency SANA.

"We were preparing to receive visitors when I heard an explosion... then I saw smoke so the side of the of the entrance to the exhibition hall," said Iyad Jaber, 39, a Syrian working at a textile stand.

The Damascus International Fair was once the top event on Syria's economic calendar, but was last held in the summer of 2011, months after the start of a revolt against President Bashar al-Assad's government.

This year's fair opened on Thursday, and was scheduled to last 10 days.

Its general director, Fares al-Kartally, said the decision to hold the fair this year was a result of "the return of calm and stability in most regions" of Syria.

"We want this fair to signal the start of (the country's) reconstruction," Kartally told AFP earlier this week.

While Damascus has been insulated from much of the worst violence of the country's war, several key rebel enclaves remain in the Eastern Ghouta region outside the city.

Fighters in the area have regularly fired rockets into the capital, and government warplanes have frequently carried out devastating raids across Eastern Ghouta.

But in recent weeks, much of the area has been quieter after the implementation in July of a "de-escalation zone" covering parts of Eastern Ghouta.

The United States and European countries, which have imposed sanctions on Assad's government, were not officially invited to participate in the fair, which was first held in 1954.

But a handful of European companies are participating on an individual basis in the event.

More than 330,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.</s>BEIRUT - Six people were reported dead on Sunday when a rocket hit near an international trade fair in Syria's capital Damascus being held for the first time in five years.

The Damascus International Fair was once the leading event on Syria's economic calendar but had not been held since shortly after the outbreak of the country's war in March 2011. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the war, said six people, including two women, were killed and around a dozen more wounded in the rocket fire near the entrance to the fair.

A rescuer speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity confirmed the toll. A source at a hospital in Jaramana, an area southwest of the capital, told AFP he had seen dead and injured being evacuated from the scene. There was no confirmation of the toll from officials. But state television briefly carried a breaking news alert reporting the rocket fire and saying it had caused injuries, citing its reporters at the scene.</s>(UPDATED) The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says 6 people were killed and around a dozen wounded

DAMASCUS, Syria (UPDATED) – Six people were reported dead on Sunday, August 20, when a rocket hit near an international trade fair in Syria's capital Damascus being held for the first time in 5 years.

The Damascus International Fair was once the leading event on Syria's economic calendar but had not been held since shortly after the outbreak of the country's war in March 2011.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the war, said 6 people, including two women, were killed and around a dozen wounded in the rocket fire near the entrance to the fair.

A rescuer speaking to Agence France-Presse on condition of anonymity confirmed the toll.

A source at a hospital in Jaramana, an area southwest of the capital, told Agence France-Presse he had seen dead and injured being evacuated from the scene.

There was no confirmation of the toll from officials.

However, state television briefly carried a breaking news alert reporting the rocket fire and saying it had caused injuries, citing its reporters at the scene.

The alert was removed shortly afterwards, and a reporter broadcasting live from the fair interviewed several officials who made no mention of the rocket fire or casualties.

"We were preparing to receive visitors when I heard an explosion... then I saw smoke to the side of the entrance to the exhibition hall," 39-year-old Iyad al-Jabiri, a Syrian working at a textile stand at the fair, told Agence France-Presse.

The fair opened on Thursday, August 17, at the capital's Exhibition City and is scheduled to last 10 days.

It was touted as a sign that work towards rebuilding Syria and revitalizing its ravaged economy was getting under way, despite the violence that continues in parts of the country.

Its general director, Fares al-Kartally, said the decision to hold it this year was a result of "the return of calm and stability in most regions" of Syria.

"We want this fair to signal the start of [the country's] reconstruction," Kartally told Agence France-Presse earlier this week.

While Damascus has been insulated from much of the worst violence of the country's war, several key rebel enclaves remain in the Eastern Ghouta region outside the city.

Fighters in the area have regularly fired rockets into the capital, and government warplanes have frequently carried out devastating raids across Eastern Ghouta.

In recent weeks, much of the area has been quieter after the implementation in July of a "deescalation zone" covering parts of Eastern Ghouta.

The trade fair dates back to 1954 but was last held in the summer of 2011, months after the eruption of protests against President Bashar al-Assad's government.

Since then, the country has spiraled into a bloody civil war that has killed more than 330,000 people, displaced millions, and devastated the economy.

The fair is hosting firms from 23 countries that have maintained diplomatic relations with Damascus throughout the conflict.

The United States and European countries, which maintain economic sanctions on the Assad regime, were not officially invited, although a handful of Western companies are attending on an individual basis.

Syria's government has seized large parts of the country from rebels and jihadists in recent months and talk has begun to turn to reconstruction and even the reestablishment of ties with Western nations.

But Assad said Sunday that countries seeking to resume ties or reopen their embassies must end their support for Syria's rebels.

"We are not isolated like they think, it's their arrogance that pushes them to think in this manner," he said in a speech to members of Syria's diplomatic corps broadcast on state television.

"There will be neither security cooperation, nor the opening of embassies, nor a role for certain states that say they want to find a way out [of Syria's war], unless they explicitly cut their ties with terrorism," he added.

Meanwhile the Observatory on Sunday said that at least 18 civilians were killed the previous day in air strikes by the US-led coalition on a jihadist-held village in northeast Syria.

Three children were among the victims, said the Observatory, adding that 3 Islamic State group jihadists were also killed in the raids on Al-Jezaa in Hasakeh province. – Rappler.com</s>Six people reported killed in mortar attack at Damascus fair

Syrian soldiers walk at the Damascus International Fair in Damascus August 20, 2017. — Reuters picAMMAN, Aug 21 — At least six people were killed yesterday when a mortar bomb hit the entrance to a major trade fair being held in the Syrian capital, a war monitor said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights which tracks the conflict did not give further details of the incident which state media has not reported although social media was cited.

Rami Abdulrahman, the head of the Observatory, did not rule out other causes that may have caused the blast. The monitor said the number of casualties was expected to rise with some of the ten people who were injured in critical condition.

The Damascus International Fair being held in the southern outskirts of the capital was opened last week for the first time since the summer of 2011, only months after countrywide unrest erupted.

The exhibition is being attended by regional and foreign businessmen from over 45 countries and authorities have hailed it as a sign that the war-torn country was recovering from the conflict. — Reuters</s>At least four were killed and four others injured in a militants' shelling at a Damascus international fair, a Syrian security forces source told RIA Novosti.The Damascus International Exhibition is taking place from August 17 to 26 in the country's capital was renewed after 6 years after its suspension amid the war in the country. There are official delegations and about 1,300 businessmen from Arab and other countries, the Syrian prime minister told Sputnik earlier.The local source told RIA Novosti that the shelling took place from Eastern Ghouta on Damascus' outskirts controlled by anti-government armed militant groups."Four people were killed and four others injured when rocket-propelled projectiles fell at the Damascus International Fair," the source said.The shelling comes amid a ceasefire in Syria</s>For the first time in five years, Syria has held The Damascus International Fair, the Middle East’s first modern trade fair dating back to 1954.

Below is a video of the fair in 1969.

The fair saw companies from across the world, including from Europe come to the fair to show off their goods to international consumers including big businesses and fellow governments. The primary theme to this years fair was one of national revival and infrastructural renewal.

The big winners of the fair were China, Russia and Iran whose companies took centre state at the fair and will soon take a primary role in rebuilding the parts of Syria that have been damaged by years of war and foreign funded chaos.

For ordinary Syrians who attended, the fair was a symbol that their country is slowly returning to normalcy and that the secular government which provides for equal rights between religious and ethnic sects as well as equality between men and women is more determined than ever to build a modern country that reflects the real values of the stalwart Syrian people.

In addition to companies demonstrating their products, the fair also featured events displaying Syria’s rich cultural heritage.

“Damascus is alive and embraces its visitors again! After a five year cancellation because of the global war launched against Syria since 2011, the Damascus International Fair reopened, launching its 59th session. Forty-five countries have raised their flags in Damascus and joined this historic city in celebration.” Challenging the war and the sanctions, these 45 countries joined the Damascus international fair. This occasion has the value of being an economic, cultural, social and artistic demonstration. Among the 23 countries who officially have joined the Fair are Russia, Iran, Iraq, China, and Venezuela. The Omani Chamber of Commerce paid an early visit to Damascus, on 8 August”.

“Prime Minister Emad Khamis started the occasion with his speech stating that his exhibition has a message: ”The will of Syrians for life was and is still stronger than terrorism,” adding that “it’s the victory flag of Life over murder, honesty over treason, right over wrong and sovereignty over dependency.” PM Khamis ended his speech by greeting the sacrifices of our brave army and our allies. Dr Bouthina Sha’aban the senior presidential advisor in an interview to pan Arabic Almayadeen TV expressed that the re-holding of this exhibition is a symbol to the military and political crisis’ route, and it implies that the war is over and that we defeated the project of others in Syria (meaning the project of destroying Syria). This event is the start of the reconstruction and rebuilding of Syria. However she maintained that this victory doesn’t mean it’s a total victory. Full victory requires more sacrifices”.

Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban has previously described reconstruction efforts by Syria’s partners as the equivalent of a new Marshall Plan, referring to the funds the United States used to rebuild western and central Europe after the Second World War.

“Syria also used to have another international events like Buildex International Building construction and advanced equipment. I have visited this great event once in 2010 before this sabotage war against my country. This war of which their masters aim was to kill the civilization in Syria so that they would stop its life in order to eliminate its cultural identity and history. They directed their savage rebels since the very beginning of the war to destroy the historical locations as well as the modern ones! In February, the Khallouf Trading Company announced the reopening of its manufacturing plant in Hama, in partnership with the Chinese Dongfeng Motor Company, and the launching of two new vehicles, a sedan and an SUV. The Damascus International Fair session opened 17 August and continues through 26 August”.

While winning the war against radical Salafist/Wahhabi terrorism is crucial, securing a peace that is based on the future prosperity of the Syrian people is essential. The Syrian government, its state partners and private businesses and entrepreneurs from around the world seem to determined to view the challenges of post war Syria as mutual opportunities.

Below is the videos of members of the French delegation celebrating Syrian unity with locals.</s>DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The Latest on developments in Syria (all times local):

Social media activists and a local journalist say a shell has hit Syria’s first international trade fair since the war broke out six years ago, killing and wounding several people.

Sunday’s shelling comes three days after the Syrian government opened the international trade fair, an event hailed by officials as a “victory” and a sign of renewed confidence in the war-torn nation.

The Mortar News in Damascus Facebook page that tracks violence in the capital reports that the shell hit the entrance of the Damascus International Fair killing four and wounding four others.

A journalist working for state media confirmed the shelling saying it left “several people martyred or wounded.”

The journalist who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is now allowed to speak to other media organizations did not elaborate.

Syrian President Bashar Assad has blasted the West, rejecting any security cooperation or reopening of embassies in Damascus before those countries cut relations with opposition groups.

Assad’s defiant comments on Sunday come at a time when his troops are gaining ground around the country and many countries have ceased calling for him to step down.

In a speech before dozens of Syrian diplomats in Damascus, Assad praised Russia, Iran, China and Lebanon’s Hezbollah for supporting his government during his country’s six-year civil war.

He said Syria will look east when it comes to political, economic and cultural relations.

Assad said recent deals to de-escalate violence in Syria are good to reduce the bloodletting but vowed not to give the opposition in politics what it failed to gain through arms.

Copyright © 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.</s>Sputnik reports that terrorists have struck the Damascus International Fair which has welcomed visitors form around the world.

Four are reported dead as a result of the tragic rocket attack.

According to early reports, the shelling came from Eastern Ghouta which is still partly controlled by terrorists. The attack violates the present ceasefire in Eastern Ghouta.

This year saw the historic trade fair, the first in the Middle East open after five years of absence due to the war against terrorism.</s>ALTAMONT, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Sunday night, fair goers will have to say goodbye to the Altamont Fair until next summer.

Doors close at 10 p.m. tonight, so there is still time to get out there and have some fun!

The fair manager said the event has been a massive success this year, judging by the crowds that came out.

“With the crowds that we’ve had, we had one day of rain where the crowds were nonexistent. But, every other day there have been a ridiculous amount of people coming through the gates so we are very happy with how things tuned out,” said Amy Anderson, Altamont Fair Manager.

But, when one fair ends another one starts get ready for the Fonda Fair.

The fair will kick off its 176th year on Wednesday, August 30th.

It runs until September 4th and features many activities including a tractor driving contest and demolition derby.

There will also be a rodeo which is a new addition to the fair.
A rocket hits and injures several people at the Damascus International Fair. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says five people have died.