Syrian, Russian jets pound Idlib

Syrian and Russian warplanes on Saturday targeted the southern edge of Idlib Province with airstrikes and shelling, Syrian media and a war monitoring group said, ratcheting up the military pressure on the terrorist-held bastion.

The air raids came a day after Iran and Russia backed a military campaign in the terrorist-held area despite Turkey’s pleas for a cease-fire. Turkey has troops and 12 observations points that ring Idlib, reported AP.

State-run Al-ikhbariya TV said the government was retaliating against overnight shelling from terrorist-held areas on a government-held town in Hama Province, south of Idlib.

The shelling late Friday in Mhradah killed nine civilians, according to state media.

The government and Russian raids targeted a wide swath of land in the southern edge of the terrorist-held enclave that includes most of Idlib Province and northern Hama Province.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported more than 30 air raids Saturday on a number of towns and villages in southwestern Idlib and Hama.

The area, which has been targeted over the last few days, overlooks government-controlled areas.

Separately, clashes broke out in eastern Syria in Qamishli, a town close to the border with Turkey, between government and Kurdish forces.

The observatory said the clashes left 10 government security personnel and seven Kurdish militants dead.

The town is run by Kurdish-led forces, but Syrian government troops hold pockets of territory there, including the airport. Clashes rarely erupt there over turf control and authority.