Assad regime, Russian attacks target civilians in Syria's Idlib
A man looks through the rubble of a destroyed house in the village of Iblin in the Jabal al-Zawiya region in northwestern Syria's Idlib province, June 10, 2021. (AFP Photo)


Attacks carried out by the Assad regime and its main backer Russia killed one civilian and injured 13 others in northwestern Syria's opposition-held Idlib province on Saturday.

In a separate incident in Kafr Latah, a Syrian civilian was killed and 10 others were injured in attacks by Assad regime forces and Iranian-backed terrorist groups in northwestern Syria on Saturday, according to a Syria Civil Defense (White Helmets) member who spoke to Anadolu Agency (AA).

"Among the injured are two children and one civilian, who is in critical condition," he said, adding that the injured civilians were rushed to hospital for treatment.

Regime forces and allied terrorist groups launched missile attacks on the villages of Kafr Latah, Kafar Aweed, Deir Sunbul, al-Magarah, Mareian, Fleifel, Sufuhon and Benin in the south of Idlib province, the White Helmets member said.

Three civilians were also injured Saturday by Russian airstrikes in Syria's opposition-held Idlib province, near the Turkish border, according to civil defense sources in the region.

The attacks, which an opposition plane observation post claimed were carried out by Russia, targeted the villages of Sarja, Mantef, and Ruwaiha in the northwestern Idlib province.

After taking off from the main Russian base in the Latakia province at 5:40 p.m. (2:40 p.m. GMT), Russian warplanes carried out 12 airstrikes, claimed the observation post.

Three civilians were injured, said Syria's civil defense forces.

An AA correspondent at the scene transported a child injured in the attacks to the hospital.

On Thursday, regime forces and allied terrorist groups killed six civilians and injured 13 others in attacks in northwestern Syria.

"There’s been a big escalation in artillery shelling by Syrian government forces in southern Idlib in recent days, with more civilian casualties reported," Mark Cutts, the U.N. deputy regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syria crisis stated Wednesday, referring to Assad regime forces.

"I strongly condemn today’s attack close to a camp of displaced people, which destroyed a compound used as a school," he added.

Almost a million people have fled the Assad regime’s offensive on Idlib since December 2019 with many seeking refuge in overcrowded tent camps near the Turkish border. A truce was brokered between Moscow and Ankara in March 2020 in response to the months of fighting by the Russia-backed regime, yet the regime still frequently carries out attacks on civilians, hindering the return of people to their homes and forcing them to stay in makeshift camps.

For years, the Assad regime has ignored the needs and safety of the Syrian people, only eyeing further territorial gains and crushing the opposition. The regime has bombed civilian facilities such as schools, hospitals and residential areas, displacing almost half the country's population.

Although Turkish institutions, the U.N. and international humanitarian organizations continue their efforts to provide humanitarian aid, there are still thousands more who need urgent assistance from the international community.