ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Fighter jets, suspected to be Russian, conducted multiple airstrikes in Syria’s Aleppo, killing 12 people, and injuring dozens, a war monitor reported on Sunday.
The UK-Based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that “Russian fighter jets executed four airstrikes on the University Hospital in Aleppo city centre, leaving five combatants and civilians dead and a large number of people injured.”
This came hours after another Russian airstrike in northwestern rebel-held Idlib, which killed nine civilians, and injured at nearly 62 others, according to SOHR.
The attacks come amid chaos in Aleppo, as clashes intensify between Syrian regime troops and a coalition of rebels, spearheaded by the jihadist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
The Islamist fighters entered the city on Friday afternoon after taking several villages in the surrounding countryside and gaining ground for the first time in years. The surprise offensive was launched on Wednesday.
On Sunday, Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) launched a fresh offensive against Kurdish forces in northern Aleppo province; a day after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) took control of strategic locations in eastern Aleppo and formed a corridor to the city from the Euphrates River.
Russia, which is a staunch supporter of Assad’s regime, has intensified its aerial strikes in the rebel held areas, since the start of the rebel offensive.
On Saturday, SOHR reported that a suspected Russian airstrike killed 16 people and injured 20 others, in Aleppo.
Updated at 7:14 pm with updated death toll
