Syria: Russian jets bomb Idlib for 7th day in a row

 Russian bombing of Idlib

06 Jan 2022; MEMO: Russian jets bombed areas near Idlib in the north-west of Syria on Tuesday. According to Syrian Civil Defence officials this was the seventh consecutive day that the opposition held area has been attacked by Russia, with Al-Bara in the Jabal Al-Zawiya area targeted in particular.

The aircraft flew at high altitude and were Russian Sukhoi jets, confirmed tracking centres. They dropped bombs on several towns and a major water pumping station serving the overcrowded city, Reuters reported.

The Jusoor Centre for Studies said that Russia is trying to pressure the international community to accept limits to the access for aid deliveries in Syria. This followed the UN Secretary-General stressing the need to continue the flow of aid across the Syrian border.

"At the very least," it added, "Russia wants to ensure the continuation and acceleration of work under the [permitted] exceptions for the early recovery stipulated in the UN resolution, and thus, reducing the size of sanctions against the [Syrian] regime."

The centre pointed out that Moscow is dissatisfied with the slowdown in implementing the roadmap agreed with Turkey during the Sochi Summit between Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin on 30 September, 2020.