BEIRUT: Syrian and Russian forces have conducted air strikes on rebel bases in the northwest region of Syria, according to the defence ministry on Wednesday. The strikes come amidst a recent surge in deadly violence in the area.
In a statement carried by state news agency SANA, the Syrian defence ministry stated that the strikes were a response to repeated attacks on civilians in residential areas of nearby Hama province. The operation, carried out in coordination with Russian forces, specifically targeted fortified bases of terrorist organizations in the Idlib region.
The ministry reported that the bases, which housed weapons, ammunition, and drones, were completely destroyed during the precision air and missile strikes. The exact date of the bombardment was not specified in the statement.
The announcement followed reports by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that Russian air strikes the previous day had killed eight fighters associated with the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in rebel-held Idlib.
Ceasefire Agreement in Northwest Syria
Since March 2020, a ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia and Turkey has largely held in northwest Syria, despite occasional clashes. However, recent days have witnessed an increase in attacks in the Idlib region and nearby areas, as reported by the Observatory.
According to the war monitor, a total of 16 civilians and 13 fighters have been killed in attacks by Syrian regime and Russian forces in Idlib over the past week alone. The militants have also carried out artillery and drone attacks on regime-held areas, resulting in the deaths of six civilians, including three children, and one soldier during the same period.
Sunday’s Russian air strikes in Idlib were described by the Observatory as the deadliest attack in Syria this year, claiming the lives of at least 13 people. Among the casualties were nine civilians, including two children, with six of them killed at a fruit and vegetable market in Jisr al-Shughur.
In a separate incident, a civilian was killed in a drone strike near the village of Qardaha in the Latakia province, which is the ancestral home of President Bashar al-Assad’s family, according to the Observatory.
Syria’s ongoing 12-year war began with the brutal repression of peaceful anti-government protests by Assad and has since escalated into a devastating conflict involving foreign powers and global militants. The war has resulted in the death of over half a million people and the displacement of millions more.
The rebel-held Idlib region is home to approximately three million people, with about half of them being internally displaced individuals.
