Russia and Syria have intensified their attacks to dislodge the rebels who entered the city of Aleppo. Syrian army sources said they carried out airstrikes on the rebel-held city of Idlib in northern Syria on Sunday (December 1), the second day of intensive bombardment. British news agency Reuters reported this news.
A densely populated residential area in the center of Idlib was also attacked during the operation, residents said. The area is the largest city in a rebel-held enclave near the Turkish border, where some 4 million people live temporarily.
Rescuers at the scene said at least four people were killed and dozens more injured in the attack.
The Syrian army and its ally Russia have reportedly targeted rebel hideouts. But the two countries have denied the attack on civilians. On Saturday, Russian and Syrian jets bombed other towns in Idlib province, which has gone fully under rebel control in the boldest rebel offensive in years in a civil war where the front lines have been largely frozen since 2020.
Rebels stormed the eastern city of Aleppo in Idlib province on Friday night, forcing the army to redeploy to face the biggest challenge to President Bashar al-Assad in years.
The Syrian army said dozens of its soldiers were killed in the attack.
The army said on Sunday it had recaptured several towns seized by rebels in recent days. The rebels are a Turkish-backed coalition of mainstream secular armed groups and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist group that is the opposition's strongest military force.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has been designated a terrorist group by the United States, Russia, Türkiye and other countries.
