Russia launched its biggest airstrike in Syria since ceasefire

Russian planes bombed the northwestern region of Syria on September 20, Reuters reported. This is the largest air strike since the agreement to halt the fighting between Turkey and Russia almost six months ago.

Some witnesses reported that Russian planes attacked the western suburbs of the city of Idlib, with heavy bombardment in the mountainous area of ​​Jabal al Zawya in the southern Idlib province of the same name from a nearby Syrian army outpost. No casualties were reported, if any.

Former Syrian rebel member Mohammed Rasheed said Russia has carried out 30 airstrikes and it is the strongest attack since the ceasefire agreement went into effect to date.

Russian Su-34 bomber. Photo: Reuters

Other monitoring organizations in Syria also confirmed that Russian Sukhoi aircraft attacked the Horsh area and the city of Arab Said, west of the city of Idlib. Additionally, the drone was seen targeting two rebel-held cities in the Sahel al-Ghab delta in the western province of Hama.

Neither Russia nor the Syrian army commented on the latest airstrike.

The Russian-backed bombing campaign displaced more than a million people in the border area with Turkey after months of fighting. It was stopped in March this year following the aforementioned ceasefire agreement.

The agreement between Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin helped defuse the military confrontation between the two sides after Ankara sent thousands of soldiers to Idlib province to block Moscow-backed forces.

According to Western diplomats, Russia pressured Turkey in the latest round of talks on September 16 to reduce Ankara’s military presence in Idlib province. The Syrian opposition source linked to the Turkish army revealed that more than 10,000 Turkish soldiers were stationed at dozens of bases there.

Over the past two weeks, there have been some sporadic shelling from Syrian army outposts against Turkish bases. Two witnesses said that a group of Turkish soldiers with at least 15 armored vehicles entered Syria through the Kafr Lusin border gate, heading for the main base in Idlib province.