The Assad regime and Russian air forces continue to bomb populated areas in the ‘de-escalation zone’ in northwestern Syria, especially in rural Idlib. Local activists said that the area has been subjected to intensive airstrikes since Tuesday morning, resulting in the death of dozens of civilians, including children and women.
The airstrikes killed two civilians and wounded others in rural Idlib late on Tuesday, local activists said. The Russian jets and Assad regime helicopters carried out more than 60 airstrikes on 12 towns and villages in Idlib province on Tuesday. At least three bombs were dropped in every airstrike, with some of these filled with incendiary substances and cluster bomblets, both internationally prohibited weapons.
Seven helicopters dropped more than 19 barrel bombs on the town of Khan Sheikoun which was also hit with more than 17 rockets, according to the Syrian Civil Defense.
Regime forces also pounded the town of Rakaya with dozens of heavy artillery shells and more than 50 rockets, some of which filled with incendiary substances. Regime forces also shelled the town of Maaret Hurma with cluster munitions.
The Emergency Response Coordination Team in Syria on Tuesday said that the Assad regime and Russian bombing campaign has killed at least 859 civilians in northwestern Syria since February 2.
The Syrian Coalition, meanwhile, discussed the bombing campaign with a number of western officials. It stressed that these attacks constituted war crimes and risked undermine the international efforts to reach a ceasefire and a political solution in accordance with the international resolutions, most notably the Geneva Communique of 2012 and UN Security Council resolution 2254. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)