Russian jets begin pounding Syria after plane downed

Russian jets intensified their raids on rebel-held towns and cities in Syria’s northern Idlib province on Sunday night, a day after rebels shot down a Russian warplane and killed its pilot.

Civil defence sources said air raids struck the towns of Kafr Nubl and Maasran, as well as the cities of Saraqeb, Maarat al Numan and Idlib, and that several deaths and dozens of injuries were reported as rescuers dug through the rubble.

A hospital was hit in Maarat al Numan, witnesses and residents said, and at least five people were feared killed in another attack that damaged a residential building in Kafr Nubl.

Video recorded by rescuers showed babies on stretchers being rushed by civil defence workers out of the damaged hospital while other rescuers fought to extinguish a fire. In Idlib city, the provincial capital, one witness said a five-storey building was leveled and that at least fifteen people were feared dead.

Russia’s defence ministry and Syrian rebels said the Russian SU-25 jet was downed on Saturday in an area that has seen fierce fighting on the ground and heavy air strikes targeting rebel groups opposed to President Bashar al-Assad.

Syrians who oppose Assad view Russia as an invading force

AMMAN:

and blame it for the deaths of thousands of civilians since Moscow joined the war on the Syrian government’s side in 2015.

Russia’s defence ministry denies aiming at civilians and says it targets only hardline Islamist militants in Syria.