Syrian rebel fighters on Wednesday said Russian-backed forces were amassing troops in preparation for resuming a five-month offensive in northwest Syria after a second day of raids by jets believed to be Russian threatened to end a fragile ceasefire, Reuters informs.
The jets that flew overnight at high altitudes struck a village near Kafr Takhareem and an area near the town of Darkoush, both in rural areas in western Idlib province, two opposition sources and a resident in the area said.
The overnight bombing raid came hours after air strikes hit a part of the northwest for the first time since the truce was declared 11 days ago, according to activists and a monitor. Moscow denied conducting the first strikes.
Moscow said the Syrian government unilaterally agreed to a truce on Aug. 31 in opposition-controlled Idlib, where a “de-escalation zone” was brokered two years ago between Russia and Turkey.
Since then, there has been an end to the intense air strikes by Russian and Syrian warplanes that since late April had accompanied the Russian-backed ground offensive to retake the last rebel bastion.
The Syrian army, aided by Iran-backed militias, also pounded several towns in southern Idlib, including Kafr Sejnah and Hazareen, in what the opposition says has been a persistent pattern of shelling of rebel-held areas despite the truce deal, Reuters adds.
“Artillery shelling that has targeted villages of southern Idlib has not stopped since the alleged ceasefire,” said Mohammad Rashid, spokesman for the Jaish al-Nasr rebel group.
The rebel official said jets believed to be Russian also hit for the second time a commanding height known as Kabaneh in the mountainous province of Latakia where rebels have for months withstood intense aerial bombing, after a similar raid on Tuesday.
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