The Assad regime and Russian forces have stepped up the bombardment of residential areas and healthcare facilities in Idlib and rural Hama using internationally prohibited weapons. The Syrian Civil Defense said that the attacks are hitting targets located far from the battlefronts in southern rural Idlib.
The Syrian Civil defense said that the Assad regime and Russia are using vacuum bombs, cluster munitions, and S-5 rockets, causing widespread destruction to civilian homes and property and the outbreak of large fires in agricultural crops.
Local activists said that at least five civilians were killed and dozens more were injured as a result of the bombings. They noted that Friday congregational prayers were cancelled in the majority of towns and villages in northern rural Hama and Idlib province for fear of the intense aerial activity by the Assad regime and Russian air forces.
Last Monday, the Emergency Response Coordinators Team said that the continued bombing campaign killed 492 civilians, including 144 children in the period between February 2 and May 20.
The regime is using high-explosive bombs in the bombardment as collective punishment for the heavy losses its forces have suffered over the past two days at the hands of the FSA groups. The Syrian Coalition said that “Syrian civilians are paying the price of the inaction of the international community.”
The Coalition stressed that “if they have the will, the active players in Syria can stop military attacks on civilian areas and enforce political solution in accordance with the international resolutions.” (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
