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Russian, Syrian jets intensify bombing campaigns in rebel-held territory of Syria, Reuters reports

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Russian, Syrian jets intensify bombing campaigns in rebel-held territory of Syria, Reuters reports
A Russian Mi-8 military helicopter flies over a joint Russian and Turkish convoy (not pictured) as it patrols oil fields near the town of al-Qahtaniyah, Syria, on Feb. 4, 2021. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Delil Souleiman/AFP via Getty Images)

Russian and Syrian fighter jets have struck the rebel-held city of Idlib on Dec. 1 amid attempts to push back an insurgency that has taken over most of Aleppo, Reuters reported, citing Syrian army sources.

The intensive bombing campaigns in Idlib struck crowded areas in the center of the city, Reuters reported, killing four people and injuring dozens more.

The renewed bombings come as Syrian rebels swept into the northwestern city of Aleppo on Nov. 30, launching a major attack that forced the army to redeploy.

The renewed offensive marks a new stage in a largely frozen conflict, since government forces backed by Russia and Iran pushed rebels out of Aleppo eight years ago. The front lines in the conflict between anti-government rebels and the army of dictator Bashar al-Assad have been mostly frozen since 2020.

Damascus has been supportive of the Kremlin during the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Russian forces operating in Syria have been accused by the U.N. and other organizations of committing war crimes in the country, including the intentional bombing of hospitals and the usage of "double-tap" attacks, a tactic Russia has repeated in Ukraine.

Kremlin dismisses commander of Russian forces in Syria amid ‘significant’ losses, Ukraine’s military intelligence says
Russian troops have suffered “significant” losses, some Russian units are surrounded, and “hundreds” of Russian soldiers are missing, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR).
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Dmytro Basmat

Senior News Editor

Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.

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