At least 25 individuals lost their lives in northwestern Syria due to air strikes conducted by the Syrian government and Russia, according to the Syrian opposition-run rescue service known as the White Helmets, which reported this early on Monday.
Russian and Syrian jets targeted the rebel-held city of Idlib in northern Syria on Sunday, as per military sources. This comes as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad pledged to eliminate insurgents who had taken control of the city of Aleppo. The Syrian army also claimed to have regained several towns recently overrun by rebels. Residents reported that one attack struck a densely populated residential area in the heart of Idlib, the largest city in a rebel enclave near the Turkish border, where approximately four million people reside in temporary shelters and dwellings. At least seven people were killed and dozens injured, according to rescuers on the ground. Both the Syrian army and its ally Russia assert that they target insurgent hideouts and deny attacking civilians.
Ten children were among the fatalities in the air strikes in and around Idlib and other rebel-held areas near Aleppo on Sunday, according to the White Helmets. The total death toll from Syrian and Russian strikes since November 27 has risen to 56, including 20 children, the group stated in a recent message. The insurgents comprise a coalition of Turkey-backed secular armed groups and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the US, Russia, Turkey, and other nations. The insurgents recently seized control of all of Idlib province, marking the boldest rebel offensive in years within a civil war where front lines had largely remained static since 2020. Insurgents also advanced into the city of Aleppo, east of Idlib, on Friday night, compelling the army to reposition its forces.
In statements published by state media, Assad declared: "Terrorists only understand the language of force, and it is the language we will use to crush them." The Syrian army reported that dozens of its soldiers had been killed in the clashes in Aleppo. Russian war bloggers reported on Sunday that Moscow had dismissed Sergei Kisel, the general overseeing its forces in Syria, following the insurgents' incursion into Aleppo. In a joint statement, the United States, France, Germany, and Britain called for "de-escalation by all parties and the protection of civilians and infrastructure to prevent further displacement and disruption of humanitarian access." Aleppo had been firmly under government control since a 2016 victory, one of the war's major turning points, when Russian-backed Syrian forces besieged and devastated rebel-held eastern areas of what was once the country's largest city.
The war, which has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions, has continued since 2011 without a formal end. Most heavy fighting ceased years ago after Iran-backed militias and Russian air support helped Assad regain control of all major cities. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, during a visit to Damascus on Sunday, stated that the situation in Syria is "challenging" but that the Assad government will ultimately prevail.
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