[5][6] On 30 January 2012, the Syrian Army gained control of the city after the Battle of Douma, a major operation against the opposition armed groups in Rif Dimashq Governorate.

[9] Douma was the main city of the Siege of Eastern Ghouta which began in April 2013, isolating 400,000 people in a 100 square kilometre area.

[11] In early 2018, the main rebel faction based in the city was Saudi Arabian-backed[12] Jaysh al-Islam (Army of Islam),[13][14] with an estimated 10-15,000 fighters in the region.

[16] The last and deadliest, according to medics and rescue workers, occurred when a yellow industrial gas cylinder was reportedly dropped onto the balcony of a block of flats.

[19] In September 2018, the UN Commission of Enquiry on Syria reported: "Throughout 7 April, numerous aerial attacks were carried out in Douma, striking various residential areas.

Around the city of Douma is the strategic M5 Highway connecting Damascus with the north of the country and across the Syrian Desert and also with Iraqi capital Baghdad.