Russian air strikes in Syria cause civilian deaths

Civilian deaths are being reported from apparent air strikes by Russian fighter jets in the Syrian province of Hama and in areas bordering the Idlib province. Russian forces carried out the air strikes on Wednesday morning, in addition to targeting anti- government armed groups with surface-to- surface missiles, said the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. A video of the purported raids uploaded to YouTube by activists said at least four people were killed and dozens injured, and that the death toll was expected to rise. Al Jazeera could not independently verify the reports of the air strikes. Meanwhile, Syrian army forces have launched a ground operation in the country’s west, reports say. The offensive is targeting Khan Shaykhun, a town in Idlib strategically situated on a rebel-controlled route that connects Aleppo and Damascus. The developments come at a time when Syrian fighters are targeting government forces and pro- regime units in Hama with Grad missiles, the Syrian Observatory said in a statement. It said it has “no information about casualties” yet. Russia, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al- Assad’s government, started carrying out air strikes in areas across Syria last week. On Tuesday, Russian jets hit areas under the control of the Islamic State of the Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group in Palmyra and the northern outskirts of Aleppo.