Russian airstrikes killed at least nine civilians after targeting a market in Idlib in northwest Syria on Sunday, the deadliest attack on the war-torn country this year.
According to the Aviation Observatory in Idlib; three Russian warplanes took off from Hmeimim Airport in Latakia Governorate and targeted a fruit and vegetable market in Jisr Al-Shugur in the Idlib region.
At least nine civilians were killed, and 30 others injured during the attack. Local reports later said that the death toll had risen to 11.
Several Russian warplanes bombed, with high-explosive missiles, residential buildings in the surrounding areas of Idlib, wounding dozens of civilians.
Meanwhile, the Syrian regime forces bombed a mosque in Idlib countryside, causing great material damage.
Earlier Saturday, two brothers were killed after Russian air strikes bombed Basbat village in the countryside of Jisr al-Shughour.
There have been six consecutive days of relentless bombardment in parts of northwestern Syria, which lies along the border with Turkey.
In May 2017, Turkey, Russia and Iran announced an agreement to establish a “de-escalation zone” in Idlib and parts of the countryside of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia, as part of the Astana meetings on Syria. However, the Syrian regime forces and their supporters continued to attack the area from time to time, despite the ceasefire agreement signed on March 5, 2020.
A civil war began in Syria on March 18, 2011, after the Syrian regime launched a fierce crackdown on protests condemning human rights violations in the country.
Meanwhile, millions of displaced people are currently living in camps in north and northwest Syria, as they fled the regime’s bombing of their villages, towns and cities.
International humanitarian law prohibits targeting civilians and subjecting them to attack, whether a group or individuals, and stresses respect for their lives, their physical and mental integrity, and their protection and humane treatment.
These serious human rights violations require urgent international intervention to hold those responsible to justice and provide protection to civilians during conflicts.
