The death toll in a barrage of rebel rocket fire on a popular shopping district of Syria's capital Damascus has risen to 44 civilians, state media said yesterday.

The attack on edges of the Jaramana district in eastern Damascus took place on Tuesday night, and state media had reported 35 dead at the time.

The toll is the highest in rebel shelling on Damascus since Syria's conflict erupted in 2011. Ghouta-based rebels have for years lobbed rockets and mortar shells at Damascus.

Medical facilities in the capital were overwhelmed on Tuesday, with pools of blood on the floor and families searching desperately for loved ones.

The rain of rockets hit the popular market known for its inexpensive prices. It was packed with people shopping on the eve of Mother's Day in Syria, celebrated on March 21.

The district lies south of Ain Terma, a rebel-controlled town that falls in the opposition's bastion of Eastern Ghouta.

Meanwhile, a lightning assault by the Islamic State group that put the jihadists in control of a southern part of the Syrian capital killed 62 regime fighters, a monitor said yesterday in a new toll.

IS launched the surprise attack on Monday night to seize the Qadam neighbourhood of Damascus. It launched its Monday night attack from Hajar al-Aswad, taking advantage of a temporary power vacuum in Qadam after Islamist and jihadist fighters evacuated the area under a deal with the regime.

In Idlib, an air strike hit near a school in Syria's northwestern province yesterday, killing at least 16 children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The strike also killed 4 adult civilians.

It was not clear whether the air strike was carried out by the Syrian regime or its Russian ally.