Rebels in besieged Eastern Ghouta have begun negotiating possible surrender in the face of a ferocious new ground offensive by Bashar al-Assad’s troops.

The government’s two-starred flag was sseen flying in Hammouriyeh’s central square and claimed residents had welcomed their arrival.

The pocket - one of the rebels’ last remaining strongholds - is now close to being sliced in half, leaving thousands on the western side cut off from the east.

The government claimed somewhere between 30-40 per cent has been retaken since they began their operation in earnest in mid-February. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the regime forces now control more than 50 per cent of Ghouta.