The ongoing conflict in Syria has once again escalated, with reports of intensified aerial and artillery bombardment by the Syrian regime and Russian forces targeting towns in the Idlib and Aleppo countryside. The recent attacks have resulted in civilian casualties and raised concerns about the safety and well-being of the local population.
According to local sources, Russian warplanes attacked the towns of Sheikh Youssef and Quneitra in the Idlib countryside. At the same time, regime forces bombed the vicinity of the town of Maarat al-Naasan with missiles. Additionally, the Basoufan areas north of Darat Ezza were targeted with heavy artillery shells, further adding to the distress of the local residents. Attacks by jets and artillery have been ongoing during the day and also at night offering little respite to the people in the affected regions.
Tragically, the violence has already claimed the lives of innocent civilians. Five civilians were killed in artillery shelling by regime forces on the city of Darat Ezza, and two others lost their lives in a similar bombing on the town of Abzimo. The Syrian Civil Defense (also known as the White Helmets) has responded to a staggering 1,206 attacks by regime forces, Russia, and militias loyal to them in northwestern Syria since the beginning of the year and Assad and his allies have killed 154 people, including 45 children and 22 women, and injured 652 civilians, including 203 children and 94 women.
The Syria Response Coordinators Team warns that hundreds of thousands of civilians in the city of Idlib and its surroundings are at risk of displacement due to the relentless bombing by the Assad regime. The situation is dire, and the international community must take urgent action to prevent further suffering and loss of life.
The escalation of violence has also been marked by, the near-daily, flights of Russian or Iranian reconnaissance drones. Russian air strikes have targeted the vicinity of the village of Quneitra, west of the city of Idlib, while artillery and missile shelling by regime forces have been reported in various locations, including the town of Kafr Aweid in Jabal al-Zawiya, south of Idlib, and the villages of Kafr and Taal Al-Qasr in the western countryside of Aleppo.
