Russia targets poultry farm in Syria's Idlib, amid wave of airstrikes on civilian infrastructure

Russian warplanes targeted a poultry farm in Syria's northwestern Idlib province on Monday leaving a woman and her child injured, according to the Syrian Civil Defence - better known as the White Helmets.

The attack occurred on the outskirts of Kafr Takharim village as the White Helmets "responded and transferred the injured to a nearby hospital", according to a tweet by the rescue group.

This comes as Russian airstrikes continued to target civilian infrastructure and key resource points for many local citizens in the province, where over 3 million people reside, including a water plant and agricultural facilities.

Idlib and parts of Aleppo province remain the only areas in Syria to be held by the opposition, as President Bashar Al-Assad recovered most of the country with Russian military support after the Kremlin intervened in 2015 to bolster the Syrian regime.

"Russia continues to destroy the civilian infrastructure in [northwest] Syria. In the last days, Russian warplanes attacked many poultry farms, a factory of foodstuff, and one of the main water stations that supply thousands of ppl in Idlib," the White Helmets tweeted, linking to a video of Monday's farm attack.

Scenes show the aftermath of Russian airstrikes that targeted a poultry farm where a woman and her child were injured in the outskirts of #Kafer_Takharim village northwestern #Idlib.#WhiteHelmets pic.twitter.com/EPD3cXbIwd

— The White Helmets (@SyriaCivilDef) January 3, 2022

Russian airstrikes also targeted the key Sejer water station that feeds Idlib city and its surrounding villages, leaving the station "out of action" and depriving thousands of people of water, activists reported on Sunday.

The Syrian regime and Russia have repeatedly targeted civilian infrastructure - such as hospitals, schools, and bakeries - in opposition areas.

Activists say that this is designed to make opposition areas unlivable for Syrians.

The Syrian conflict - which led to the loss of at least 500,000 lives -  began in 2011 after the Assad regime brutally cracked down on peaceful pro-democracy protests.