Idlib (Syrian News) Local sources informed that Russian aircraft carried out air strikes, on Wednesday, on the Christian-majority Qaina and Yaqobia Villages, in the western countryside of Idlib, Qasioun News reported.

The sources revealed that the two villages are Christian-majority, while pointed out that the air strikes were conducted on a church in one of the villages, killing a Christian child and injuring 5 others.

Meanwhile, other Russian air strikes were carried out on the areas of Bedama, Bashiria, Shatbarq, Sarmanya, Haloz, Ghasanya and Sad Al-Shaghr, in western Idlib, but no casualties were reported.

It is noteworthy that the Christian-majority village of Yaqobia witnessed a significant displacement movement since the start of the Syrian revolution in 2011; however, several families stayed in the village despite the consequences of the Syrian war in the area.

Russia has supported the government of Syria since the beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2011, and started its military intervention in the country after an official request by the Syrian government for military aid against rebel and jihadist groups.







</s>MOSCOW, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The Russian Defence Ministry on Tuesday denied allegations that its air strikes had killed civilians in Syria's Idlib province, saying that in the past few days it had only bombed Islamist militant fighters in the area.

Moscow said it was responding to allegations from the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which on Monday said six civilians had been killed in the province, including a woman and a child.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also criticised Russia on Monday for the same reason, saying that recent Russian bombing in Idlib had killed civilians and moderate rebels and that this would be discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin when he visited Turkey this week.

Major-General Igor Konashenkov of the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement that the Russian and Syrian air forces did not bomb residential areas and accused the observatory of making up allegations and of sympathising with radical Islamist militants.

"In the last few days, after drone reconnaissance and confirmation via other channels, Russian planes struck 10 terrorist targets in Idlib Province," Konashenkov said.

"These were militant bases, ammunition stores, armoured vehicles, rocket systems, and workshops fitting out 'jihad jeeps' which were located a long way from residential areas," he said.

The targets struck had taken part in a militant offensive last week which surrounded 29 Russian military policemen who then had to be broken out in a special operation backed by air power, he added. (Reporting by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Christian Lowe)</s>BEIRUT: Russian air strikes on northwest Syria’s mainly jihadist-controlled province of Idlib on Monday killed at least 27 civilians, a Britain-based monitor said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was the highest civilian death toll in Idlib since the region was designated in May as one of Syria’s "de-escalation" zones under an accord between regime allies Russia and Iran, and rebel backer Turkey.

"The air raids struck several locations and villages in the Jisr al-Shughur area of the province bordering Turkey, leaving 27 dead among civilians, 10 of them children," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

After several months of calm, Idlib province has for the past two weeks been the target of heavy air strikes by the regime and its Russian allies, following a jihadist assault in neighbouring Hama province also covered by the de-escalation accord for Syria’s war that has cost more than 330,000 lives since 2011.</s>The Russian Defence Ministry on Tuesday denied allegations that its air strikes had killed civilians in Syria’s Idlib province, saying that in recent days it had only bombed Islamist militant fighters in the area.

Moscow said it was responding to assertions from the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which on Monday said six civilians had been killed in the province, including a woman and a child.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu criticised Moscow on Monday for the same reason, saying that recent Russian bombing in Idlib had killed civilians and moderate rebels and that this would be discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin when he visited Turkey this week.

Putin is expected to meet his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Thursday for talks on Syria.

Major-General Igor Konashenkov of the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement that the Russian and Syrian air forces did not bomb residential areas and accused the observatory of making up allegations and of sympathising with radical Islamist militants.

“In the last few days, after drone reconnaissance and confirmation via other channels, Russian planes struck 10 terrorist targets in Idlib Province,” Konashenkov said.

“These were militant bases, ammunition stores, armoured vehicles, rocket systems, and workshops fitting out ‘jihad jeeps’ which were located a long way from residential areas,” he said.

Konashenkov said Russia had data to confirm the accuracy of its attacks and the ministry on Tuesday published video of the strikes on Idlib to back its assertions that it had only bombed militant targets.

The targets struck had taken part in a militant offensive on Sept 18 which had surrounded 29 Russian military policemen who then had to be broken out in an operation backed by air power, he added.</s>The Russian Defense Ministry has denied reports of deaths of 150 civilians in Syria's Idlib as result of Russian airstrikes.Russia denies reports suggesting that 150 civilians died in Syria's Idlib as a result of Russian airstrikes, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Thursday.Konashenkov said that Russian planes did not carry out airstrikes in Syria's residential neighbourhoods , adding that they were focused on hardware, reserves and al-Nusra Front militants.According to Konashenkov, Russian Aerospace Forces' airstrikes in Syria's Idlib derailed an operation of al-Nusra Front, which was trying to rescue militants from encirclement in Hama.On Wednesday, Reuters reported citing opposition rescue workers that Russian and Syrian planes killed at least 150 civilians and injured dozens in in an over a week-long campaign in Idlib.</s>Russian air force has been targeting Al Nusra-affiliated fighters in the Idlib province of Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry said, releasing videos to refute “unsubstantiated claims” that it deliberately bombed civilian-populated areas.

Russian air force has been targeting Al Nusra-affiliated fighters in the Idlib province of Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry said, releasing videos to refute “unsubstantiated claims” that it deliberately bombed civilian-populated areas.

“The Russian Air Force does not strike populated areas in the Syrian Arab Republic,” General Igor Konashenkov, spokesperson for the Russian Defense Ministry, said Tuesday, following reports of Russian strikes allegedly hitting heavily populated areas in Idlib.

The controversial Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed that in the past few days it has documented “intense airstrikes targeting… villages and towns” in Idlib province. The raids, SOHR claimed, killed 27 civilians, while injuring 58 others.

“The statements by the Observatory, sourced to anonymous ‘eyewitnesses’ or ‘volunteers,’ are traditionally unsubstantiated and serve as an ‘informational cover’ for the activity of Al Nusra militants and affiliated warring factions,” the Russian MoD said.

The NGO, run by an individual residing in the UK, has for years been feeding news about the Syrian war to many media outlets, claiming to have a wide network of contacts on the ground. The Western media, along with officials, often take the information provided by SOHR at face value and cite its reports that speak of victims of either Russian or Syrian military actions in the region. Both the Russian and Syrian military have on a number of occasions revealed inconsistencies in the group’s reports, however, accusing it of manipulating its alleged evidence.

In the past 24 hours, the Russian jets have struck 10 terrorist targets in Idlib province, the Defense Ministry said, releasing the footage of the strikes. Prior to initiating the strikes, the Russian military confirmed terrorist movements at target locations through drone reconnaissance and “other intelligence channels,” Konashenkov said.

The targets, which were all situated away from populated areas, included ISIS’s underground bases, ammunition depots and armored vehicles, the military said. The Russian jets also managed to destroy jihadists’ rocket launchers and workshops that produce explosive-laden vehicles.

“The destroyed facilities and equipment were used both during training and during the terrorist attack on September 18,” the spokesman noted, referring to the attack on the Russian military police unit in the Hama province where terrorists wanted to capture “Russian servicemen as hostages.”

Last week Al Nusra-led fighters attempted a massive attack on the positions of government forces and the Russian military police unit northeast of the city of Hama, an area which is part of the de-escalation zone that covers Idlib province.

The Russian Air Force and special operations forces have been deployed to repel the attack and to aid the Russian military police who, with the help of a local militia, have been holding their ground against a much bigger enemy for hours. During the fierce battle, Russian-led forces killed some 850 militants and destroyed 11 tanks, 46 armed pickup trucks, five mortars and other assets.

The Russian Defense Ministry says that, according to their data, an offensive launched by Al Nusra terrorists was orchestrated by the US security services, aiming at derailing the Syrian Army operation near Deir ez-Zor.

Moscow remains concerned that while Washington claims it is focused on fighting Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS\ISIL) terrorists, on the ground the US-led forces act in a different manner.

On Sunday, the Russian Ministry of Defense published aerial images which they say show US Army special forces equipment located north of Deir ez-Zor, where pockets of IS militants are holding their ground.

The US troops do not face any “resistance from the ISIS militants,” while their positions have no screening patrol, which could indicate that they “feel absolutely safe” in the area, the ministry said.

While Washington has denied the accusations, the troops of the Syrian Democratic Force (SDF), a predominantly Kurdish militia backed by the US military, have recently attacked positions of the Syrian Arab Army in the Deir ez-Zor governorate, to assert control over the oil- and gas-rich eastern part of Syria.

The city of Deir ez-Zor endured almost three years of siege by IS, which was lifted by Syrian government forces and allies with support from the Russian Air Force earlier in September. Fighting to clear the remaining pockets of terrorists continues, alongside a separate US-supported SDF operation across the Euphrates River.</s>The Russian Defense Ministry has denied claims that its planes killed over 150 civilians in airstrikes in Syria’s Idlib province last week, saying Russian planes do not target civilian areas. The allegations were made by the controversial White Helmets group.

Earlier, Reuters cited a White Helmets spokesman as claiming that members of the group had recovered 152 bodies of civilians killed by “the Russian and regime bombing campaign.” The group was mentioned by its other name, the Syrian Civil Defense, which it took from the government-run organization with a decades-long history.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov called the group “crooks” and criticized Reuters for giving them credibility.

“Russian Air Force planes do not target residential areas and villages to avoid civilian casualties,” he stressed. “They target terrorist bases, hardware and weapons storage sites, which are identified by surveillance drones and cross-checked through other channels.”

The Russian general said all the recent airstrikes in Idlib governorate had targeted the forces of the terrorist group best known as Al-Nusra Front, which was responsible for an attack on Russian and Syrian troops in neighboring Hama governorate last week.

“Thanks to the actions of the Russian Air Force in Syria, this Nusra operation was thwarted and the terrorist forces involved were destroyed,” Konashenkov said.

The White Helmets group, often praised by Western media as courageous rescuers helping civilians caught in a battle zone, has a long history of controversies. Its members were caught filming staged rescues, allegedly helping militants dispose of bodies after summary executions and other dubious actions. Critics say the group is nothing more than a foreign-funded propaganda arm, furthering the cause of deposing the government in Damascus.

Last week, several hardcore Islamist groups based in Idlib, an area designated as a de-escalation zone by a Russian-Turkish-Iranian initiative, launched an attack targeting positions of pro-Damascus troops and a unit of Russian military police, which acted as monitors of the ceasefire. The Russian troops were in danger of being captured but were rescued by an emergency operation of Russian special operations forces supported by Russian warplanes.

Russia responded to the attack against its troops by launching a series of airstrikes and cruise missiles, which, Moscow said, targeted the militant groups responsible for it.</s>Last week, Russia reported a failed push by al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front out of Idlib Province into Syrian government territory in Hama. In the course of repelling them, Russia claimed some 850 Nusra fighters were slain.

What followed since then was an increase in airstrikes against Idlib Province territory by both Syrian and Russian warplanes. The opposition Civil Defense group is now reporting 152 civilians killed in the course of those strikes.

The accuracy of either of those figures is impossible to prove, and both the Russian military and the Civil Defense have a history of hard to believe high death tolls in incidents that no one else seems to have documented as being nearly so massive.

Still, airstrikes have been confirmed to escalate in Nusra-held parts of Idlib, and given that includes residential areas, it’s highly probable those strikes have meant substantial civilian deaths and injuries. As with so much of the war, however, true numbers may never be known.
• After Mattis Targeted, US Airstrike in Kabul Causes Civilian Casualties - September 27th, 2017
• US Promises to Deploy 'Strategic' Military Assets Near Korean Peninsula - September 27th, 2017</s>BEIRUT, LEBANON (4:49 P.M.) – Russian strategic bombers have once against entered the skies over Syria carrying out a series of major airstrikes against terrorists in the provinces of Idlib and Deir Ezzor.

In the province of Deir Ezzor (eastern Syria), positions and assets of the ISIS terrorist group have been attacked, whilst the target of Russian bombers in Idlib (northwestern Syria) has been the Al-Qaeda-linked Ha’yat Tahrir al-Sham jihadist faction.

Details are still coming in and it is not yet clear how many Russian strategic bombers partook in the raid or what kind of ordinance they delivered.

Also unclear is what specific design the Russian bombers were of, this nonetheless likely being either Tu-22M3 or Tu-95.</s>AMMAN: Russian and Syrian jets killed at least 150 civilians and injured dozens in over a week of heavy bombing that shattered a six-month halt in intensive aerial raids in opposition-held northwestern parts of Syria, opposition rescue workers said on Wednesday.

The renewed bombing campaign came after an array of jihadist rebels led by the former Qaeda offshoot in Syria last week waged a wide-scale offensive against government-controlled areas in northern Hama.

"We have pulled 152 bodies and we have rescued 279 civilians since the Russian and regime bombing campaign," said Salem Abu al Azem, a senior rescue worker from the opposition-run Civil Defence in Idlib, adding bodies were still being pulled out of the wreckage of buildings flattened by air raids.

Russia's defence ministry says it is attacking hard-line Islamist militants. It denies accusations it has targeted infrastructure and medical centres to force rebels into local truces that effectively restore President Bashar al Assad's grip on the country.

Civil defence officials and other humanitarian aid workers have documented the destruction of six hospitals, five defence centres, and power stations in the first few days of the bombing campaign alongside hitting camps where displaced civilians have been sheltering.

Rebels and witnesses differentiate easily Russian jets from Syrian planes with the former flying in sorties at high altitudes making drops with devastating impact.

The strikes began with intensive bombing of towns and cities in southern Idlib where the jihadists have a large presence but in recent days have spread to most towns across the province that borders Turkey.

Thousands of families have fled from towns such as Jisr al Shqour and Jabal al Zawya to rural areas less exposed to daily bombing and shelling, aid workers said.

The bombing campaign however comes shortly after a tripartite deal struck by Moscow, Ankara and Tehran to deploy an observer force in Idlib, a province where the former al Qaeda Syrian offshoot has cemented its control after it crushed opponents.

The Kremlin said earlier this week Russia’s president Vladimir Putin was expected to meet his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan on a visit to Ankara on Thursday.

Syrian rebel officials says Turkey wants to get the approval of Moscow, the power with the dominant role in Syria, to press ahead with its widely anticipated plan to deploy troops in Idlib.
Russian aircraft carry out air strikes on the Christian-majority Qaina and Yaqobia villages, in the western countryside of Idlib, killing a child and injuring 5 others.