Russian warplanes strike de-escalation zone in Syria's Idlib
People assess the damage at the al-Arshani water station after it was reportedly hit by a Russian airstrike, in the village of the same name, northeast of the opposition-held city of Idlib, Syria, Jan. 2, 2022. (AFP File Photo)


Russian jets carried out airstrikes in the de-escalation zone in the opposition-held Idlib province in Syria's northwest, a report said Tuesday.

Citing local sources, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported that the attacks took place in the al-Majalliyah region.

Russian-type SU-34 fighter jets fired eight blockbusters, sources said.

Since March 5, 2020, Russia has carried out a total of 314 airstrikes in the region, sources added.

Idlib continues to suffer at the hands of the Bashar Assad regime and its backer Russia. Both are determined to recapture the last opposition stronghold and normalize political relations with regional countries, particularly within the scope of steps already taken with several Arab countries.

The Idlib region is home to nearly 3 million people, two-thirds of them displaced from other parts of the country.

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.

Frequent bombings and shelling have put nearly 50% of the 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 basic needs.

The Idlib de-escalation zone was forged under an agreement between Turkey and Russia. The area has been the subject of multiple cease-fire agreements, which have been frequently violated by the Assad regime and its allies.