BEIRUT: Russian air strikes in Syria’s northwest on Sunday resulted in the deaths of at least seven individuals, including four civilians, in response to drone attacks believed to have been carried out by rebel forces, according to a war monitor.
Rami Abdel Rahman, the director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP that the air strikes conducted by Russia killed four civilians in Jisr al-Shughur, while three rebel fighters lost their lives in a nearby location. In addition to the fatalities, at least 25 civilians sustained injuries during the strikes in the rebel-held region of Idlib province. Rahman’s organization, which is based in Britain and possesses an extensive network of sources within war-torn Syria, stated that the death toll is expected to rise.
The Russian forces, who provide support to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, initiated these retaliatory measures following a series of drone strikes executed by rebels over the past week, which resulted in the deaths of four civilians, including two children, as per Rahman.
With the backing of Russia and Iran, the Damascus government has been able to recapture much of the territory previously lost in the early stages of the Syrian conflict that erupted in 2011, when the government forcefully suppressed pro-democracy demonstrations. The remaining area under armed opposition to the regime encompasses significant portions of Idlib province, as well as parts of Aleppo, Hama, and Latakia provinces.
While Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led by former members of Syria’s previous Al-Qaeda affiliate, is the predominant group in the region, other rebel factions with varying degrees of Turkish support are also active in the area. The Syrian war has resulted in the deaths of over half a million people and forced approximately half of the country’s pre-war population to flee from their homes.
