Syria Civil War: Russian and Syrian planes intensify bombing of rebel areas, 25 people killed

The rebel group in Syria has captured more than half of the country's second largest city Aleppo and Idlib. Russia has supported the Assad government in this conflict, which has worsened the situation in Aleppo. More than 300 people have died in a major attack led by the rebels. According to the New York Times, the rebel group includes Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allied organizations. They have the support of al-Qaeda.

In 2016, the Syrian army drove out the rebels. This is happening again after 8 years when the rebel groups are going to capture Aleppo. HTS attacked on 27 November and entered the city and captured several military bases.

25 people killed in northwestern Syria

Meanwhile, the Syrian opposition-run rescue service White Helmets said on Monday that at least 25 people have been killed in northwestern Syria in air strikes carried out by the Syrian government and Russia.

Russian and Syrian jets attacked the rebel-held city of Idlib in northern Syria on Sunday, military sources said.
The army also said it had recaptured several towns that rebels had seized in recent days. Residents said one of the attacks hit a crowded residential area in the centre of Idlib, the biggest city in the rebel-held region near the Turkish border, where around four million people live in makeshift tents and homes.
At least seven people were killed and dozens wounded, according to rescue workers at the scene. The Syrian army and its ally Russia say they target positions of rebel groups and deny attacking civilians.

10 children among the dead

Ten children were among those killed in air strikes in and around Idlib and rebel-held areas near Aleppo on Sunday, according to the White Helmets. The total number of people killed in Syrian and Russian attacks since November 27 has risen to 56, including 20 children, the group said in a statement on X.

The rebels are a coalition of Turkish-backed mainstream secular armed groups, as well as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an Islamist group declared a terrorist organisation by the US, Russia, Turkey and other states. The rebels seized the whole of Idlib province in recent days.

Rebels also infiltrated the city of Aleppo, east of Idlib, on Friday night, forcing the army to redeploy. "The terrorists only know the language of force and with this language we will crush them," Assad said in comments published on state media.

The Syrian army said dozens of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in Aleppo. Russian war bloggers reported on Sunday that Moscow had sacked General Sergei Kisel, the man in charge of its forces in Syria, after rebels swept into Aleppo. Reuters has sought comment from the Russian Defence Ministry.