With Tehran’s support, Moscow has renewed its airstrikes against the last major rebel stronghold in Syria. The US had warned that Russia risked causing a major humanitarian catastrophe.
The Kremlin restarted its bombing campaign on the Syrian city of Idlib on Tuesday, over objections from the United States. British-based watchdog the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported airstrikes against the city on Tuesday.
“Russian warplanes resumed bombing Idlib province after a 22-day pause,” said SOHR chief Rami Abdel Rahman.
The White House had warned that a “reckless attack” on one of the last rebel-held areas in the country would be a “grave humanitarian mistake” that could destabilize the peace process and kill thousands. Top US generals also cautioned that without more precise planning, Russia was risking the deaths of an untold number of civilians.
Iran, which supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said it would also be helping remove militants from Idlib with the least amount of casualities possible.
“The situation in Idlib is sensitive,” Foreign Minister Javad Zarif told state TV. “Our efforts are for…the exit of terrorists from Idlib to be carried out with the least human cost.”
Moscow responded by accusing the administration of President Donald Trump of lacking “a comprehensive approach” to the Syrian conflict and called Idlib a “a hornets’ nest of terrorists.”
In light of the strikes, Turkey announced that it was moving tanks to its border with Syria and reinforcing its observation posts near Idlib.
First seized from the government in March 2015, Idlib and the surrounding area is the last important chunk of territory in Syria held by rebels. Russia has been bombing the area intermittenly since September 2015.
es/msh (AP, Reuters)
