The Directorate of Education of the Syrian Interim Government on Tuesday announced that it was suspending schools in western rural Idlib province because of the renewed bombing campaign by the Assad regime and Russian air forces. The airstrikes killed at least 14 people and wounded 31 others, according to the civil defense.
In a statement, the Directorate said that it decided to suspend schools in Jisr al-Shughour area for one day after an airstrike hit Al-Badriya School for Basic Education.
The Syrian civil defense on Tuesday said that the intensifying airstrikes killed 14 civilians and wounded 31 others, including children and women. It pointed out that at least 46 airstrikes hit around 20 villages around the town of Jisr al-Shughour. The airstrikes targeted a popular market and three schools in the area.
The civil defense added that its rescue teams dug out the bodies of the victims and transported the wounded to hospitals as well as extinguished the fires that broke out as a result of the bombings. The renewed bombing campaign prompted an exodus of people towards the Syrian-Turkish border, the aid group added.
The renewed bombings came despite warnings by several Western countries, including the United States, France, Germany as well as the Pope and the European Union of dire consequences of a potential attack by the Assad regime and its allies on Idlib.
President of the Syrian Coalition Abdurrahman Mustafa called on the international community to stop the military campaign against Idlib and to spare civilians a humanitarian disaster. He stressed that condemning the campaign or questioning its intentions would not be sufficient and would be understood as a new green light for the Assad regime. It will also be understood as admission by parties of the international community that they are not committed to a political solution nor the UN Security Council resolutions.
Mustafa expressed his astonishment at warnings issued to the Assad against the use of chemical weapons which came in response to the Tuesday bombings. “Did you intend to say: carry on with your airstrikes? Kill them! But the Syrian people will not forget.” (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)