Russian military jets patrolled the airspace across Syria alongside Assad regime jets on Monday and plan on similar patrols in the future, according to Russia's defense ministry.
The path of the group, which included fighter, fighter-bomber and early warning and control aircrafts, intersected with the Golan Heights, the armistice line with Israel that has seen regular Israeli airstrikes against suspected Iranian and Hezbollah positions.
Russian forces have been present in Syria since 2015 when they helped turn the tide in a civil war in favor of the Assad regime.
This month, witnesses and opposition sources said Russian jets have bombed areas near the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib, the last opposition-held bastion.
Russia has been continuing to destroy civilian infrastructure including schools, health centers, food and water facilities in Syria’s northwest.
For over a decade, the Assad regime has ignored the needs and safety of the Syrian people, only eyeing further gains of territory and crushing the opposition. With this aim, the regime has for years bombed civilian facilities such as schools, hospitals and residential areas, causing the displacement of almost half of the country’s population.
Frequent bombings and shelling have put nearly 50% of health facilities out of service, just as the Syrian people need them the most amid the coronavirus pandemic. Living in overcrowded tent camps or even out in the open in safe areas near the Turkish border, many are struggling to meet even basic needs.
Nearly 75% of the total population in the opposition-held Idlib region depends on humanitarian aid to meet their basic needs, as 1.6 million people continue to live in camps or informal settlements, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.
