Officials from the opposition say that Russia and Syria are using the fact that the world is focused on Gaza to launch more strikes in Idlib.
Russian airstrikes have targeted rebels in Syria, and US bombs have targeted Iranian-backed organisations in Syria. The Russian military has criticised Washington for not coordinating its actions.
Reports say that Russian airstrikes in Syria’s Idlib province have killed 34 rebel fighters and injured 60 more. Fighting is getting worse in the last rebel haven in the country.
According to a report from the Russian state news service Interfax late Sunday night, Russia’s Aerospace Forces hit “illegal armed groups” in Idlib that were behind an artillery attack on Syrian government positions. Rear Admiral Vadium Kulit said this:
It was seven times in the last 24 hours that areas of Syrian government troops were hit, a Russian official said.
The Syrian army claims that fighters were responsible for the fighting that broke out in Idlib and Aleppo provinces. Syria claims that it does not indiscriminately shell rebel-controlled residential areas.
But leaders of the resistance say that both Moscow and Damascus are using the fact that the world is focused on the war in Gaza to launch more attacks in the area with a lot of people.
Idlib is the last rebel-held area in Syria after 12 years of civil war. More than 3 million people live there and refuse to live under the dictatorship of President Bashar al-Assad.
More than 500,000 people have died in Syria’s civil war since it began in 2011.
The attacks must end
Kulit also said that Russia had said many times that the US-led alliance had violated Syrian airspace, saying that many jet and drone flights were not coordinated with Russia.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin revealed on Monday that the US carried out two airstrikes against groups in Syria that were working with Iran.
A group called the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that at least eight Iranian soldiers were killed.
Austin said that if attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria keep happening, more attacks could be made against groups with ties to Iran.
As Austin spoke at a news conference in Seoul, he said, “These attacks must stop, and if they don’t stop, then we won’t hesitate to do what’s necessary to protect the troops.”
The US attack is the third in just over two weeks. Washington is trying to stop the rocket and drone attacks on its troops in Syria and Iraq that started when the war between Israel and Hamas began a month ago.
In the past few weeks, forces backed by Iran have struck US and coalition troops at least 40 times in Iraq and Syria. According to the Pentagon, 56 troops were hurt in the attacks in Syria and Iraq. However, all of them have since gone back to work.
