Syria truce on the rocks as regime airstrikes hit Idlib

Syrian regime airstrikes have hit Idlib again, as a shaky truce falters.

1 min read

12 September, 2019

Idlib has been hit with a third day of airstrikes [Getty]

Syrian regime jets hit parts of Idlib on Thursday, the latest violence to hit the opposition province which is officially covered by a ceasefire.

Warplanes hit targets across Idlib province, killing two people including a child according to activists.

Russia re-launched its bombing of areas in and around Idlib province on Tuesday.

An elderly man was killing in airstrikes overnight Tuesday, the first civilian casualty since Moscow declared a ceasefire in the region on 31 August, a war monitor said.

Signs of a military build-up around Idlib province have been reported by rebel groups in the area.

"Artillery shelling that has targeted villages of southern Idlib has not stopped since the alleged ceasefire," Mohammad Rashid, spokesman for the Jaish al-Nasr, told Reuters.

Major Youssef Hamoud, National Army spokesperson told the agency that there are signs a major Russian-led offensive on Idlib is being prepared with Iranian militias shelling the area.

"The amassing of Iranian militias and Russian ground troops are all signals that something is being prepared for a new offensive," Hamoud said.

The failure of the Russian-led offensive has been put down to Iran's partial involvement in the assault.

Iranian militias have been key to the regime's fight-back against the rebels and central to successful offensives in East Aleppo and other areas.