More than 60 civilians killed, 43 public facilities targeted in October attacks in Syria’s Idlib

By Esref Musa and Mehmet Burak Karacaoglu

IDLIB, Syria (AA) - Sixty-six civilians were killed and 270 injured in the attacks by Syrian regime forces and supporters in October on 43 public facilities within the borders of the Idlib De-escalation Zone, according to a news report.

The White Helmets civil defense organization released a report concerning attacks by the Assad regime, backed by Russia and Iran, on settlements within the Idlib De-escalation Zone in Syria.

The report disclosed that attacks were carried out on 70 settlements, including the city center of Idlib.

Regime forces conducted nine attacks with weapons, which are prohibited under international agreements, while warplanes launched 30 attacks, it said.

Additionally, ground-to-ground weapons were used in 269 attacks by the regime and Iran-backed groups.

Among the casualties, 13 were women, and 23 children.

The report highlighted that in October, regime forces and supporters targeted 43 vital public facilities, including schools, mosques, health care facilities, marketplaces and camps.

The US Embassy in Damascus condemned attacks in the northwestern region by the regime and Russia.

"We condemn recent attacks by Russia and the Assad regime in NW Syria on schools, medical facilities & an IDP camp that have displaced over 120,000 & killed numerous civilians. Neither the Assad regime nor Russia has even tried to offer a plausible explanation for these horrors," it wrote on X.

- Situation in Idlib

Türkiye, Russia and Iran created four "de-escalation zones" in Syria in areas not under the control of the Syrian government at a meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan in 2017.

The Damascus administration, Iran-backed terrorists and Russia continued attacks and seized three of four districts and headed for Idlib.

Although Türkiye reached an additional agreement with Russia to strengthen the cease-fire in September 2018, the attacks intensified again in May 2019.

After a new cease-fire deal for northwestern Syria was reached between Ankara and Moscow on March 5, 2020, the cease-fire was largely preserved.

From 2017 - 2020, 2 million civilians fleeing attacks were forced to migrate to areas near the Turkish border.