By Esref Musa, Mehmet Burak Karacaoglu and Ahmet Karaahmet
IDLIB, Syria (AA) – The death toll rose to 11 in attacks by the Syrian army and Russia on Syria’s Idlib, Aleppo and Hama countryside while the number of injured increased to 78, sources said early Saturday.
The Syrian army and Iranian-backed foreign terror groups carried out an intensive attack on Idlib city center, Jericho district, Al-Majdal, Almastumah, Maarbalit, Sarrin, Turmanin and Darat Izza districts of Aleppo with ground-to-ground weapons, according to civil defense sources, who asked not to be named due to media-related restrictions.
Russian warplanes carried out airstrikes on the Cisir ash-Shughur district and nearby villages.
At least 10 civilians were killed and 60 were injured in attacks on Idlib city center and countryside, according to the sources.
It was reported that a child was killed and 18 civilians were injured in attacks by Russian warplanes.
The power station in the city was disabled after the army targeted it.
The army hit the Darat Izza district in western Aleppo after midnight with a cluster bomb, which is prohibited by international agreements.
The attack had civilian casualties.
- Situation in Idlib
Türkiye, Russia and Iran decided to create 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 their attacks and seized three out 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.
In the 2017-2020 period, about 2 million civilians fleeing the attacks were forced to migrate to areas near the Turkish border.
*Writing by Merve Berker in Ankara