Russian airstrikes in Syria: Five deaths, including children

Russian airstrikes targeted a major rebel stronghold in Syria, resulting in the deaths of five civilians from the same family, including three children. The incident was reported by both rescuers and a war monitor on Tuesday.

Moscow, a staunch supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has been a significant military, political, and economic ally in Syria’s 12-year civil war. According to Abdel Halim Shehab from the White Helmets search-and-rescue group, Russian warplanes attacked civilian homes on the outskirts of Armanaz in Idlib province.

The White Helmets, operating in rebel-controlled areas of northern Syria, found the victims beneath the rubble of their home. Shehab stated that the deceased included the parents and three of their children, with one child from the family surviving the attack.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a widespread network of sources in Syria, confirmed Russia’s involvement in the strikes and reported the same death toll. According to this Britain-based organization, the family’s home was situated on farmland near Armanaz.

The Syrian civil war, which escalated from a government crackdown on Arab Spring-inspired protests in 2011, has drawn in foreign militaries, militias, and jihadist groups, resulting in over half a million deaths.

Russia’s intervention in the conflict since 2015 has significantly aided Assad’s forces in reclaiming territories previously lost to rebels.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led by Al-Qaeda’s former Syria branch, dominates large areas of Idlib province and parts of Aleppo, Hama, and Latakia provinces. HTS is recognized as a terrorist organization by Syria, the United States, and the European Union, and frequently engages in conflict with Syrian and Russian forces.

Recently, Syria’s defense ministry reported shooting down seven drones launched by “terrorist organizations” in Hama and Aleppo provinces. Since 2020, a ceasefire agreement mediated by Russia and Turkey, which supports the rebels, has largely been maintained in northwest Syria, despite occasional clashes.