Russia strikes northwest Syria IDP camps, injuring women and children

Russia launched four air raids on parts of northwest Syria on Tuesday which include a cluster of camps for displaced people, local sources have told The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site.

The Russian warplanes struck the outskirts of the village of Kalbet in Idlib province, Shadi al-Hassan, a volunteer with the Syria Civil Defence - better known as the White Helmets - told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

An elderly woman was among an unspecified number of people injured in the raid, al-Hassan said.

The bombing caused bits of shrapnel to rip through tents at the camps, injuring women and children sheltering in them, eyewitnesses told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Other camp residents fled and took shelter under trees or behind rocks, they said.

Northwest Syria, including Idlib province, is home to millions of Syrians displaced by the decade-long conflict in the country.

More than 500,000 have died as a result of the conflict, which began after Bashar al-Assad's regime brutally crushed popular protests in 2011.

Russia has been militarily involved in the war since 2015, playing a significant role in propping up Assad's regime, with a devastating cost for civilians.

Human rights groups have condemned Russia for launching airstrikes on civilian targets, including hospitals and schools.

Kalbet village and the surrounding IDP camps are located close to the Bab Al-Hawa crossing on the Syria-Turkey border, the only remaining aid route into northwest Syria.

Russia regularly threatens to use its UN Security Council veto to limit the operation of Syria's border crossings, despite international outrage.