1. Regime airstrikes on northwestern Syria killed seven civilians, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. “The pace of airstrikes decreased on Thursday, compared to previous days,” said the Observatory’s head Rami Abdel Rahman.
2. On Friday, Syrian NGOs decried the inaction of the international community over the mounting violence in the last jihadi stronghold of Idleb, saying it had triggered the biggest wave of displaced people since the war began. As well as killing dozens of civilians, the recent bombardments by Syrian and Russian forces in northwest Syria have pushed 300,000 people towards Turkey’s border, the NGOs said at a press conference in Istanbul and quoted by AFP.
3. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, discussed late Thursday, recent developments and violence in Syria’s northern Idleb province. The two leaders, in a phone call, discussed – according to Asharq al-Awsat – agreements they signed as guarantor states to rival warring parties, during previous talks held in the Kazakh capital and the Black Sea resort city, Sochi. Discussions come in parallel as Russia, a major backer of the Assad regime, continued to bombard, with the Syrian regime air force, de-escalation zones in the war-torn country’s north, where Turkish-backed armed factions are based. In a statement, the head of the Turkish Presidential Information Office, Fakhruddin Alton, said Erdogan stressed to Putin the need to reinforce a ceasefire in Idleb immediately.
4. Tens of displaced Syrian families are returning back home from Lebanon, SANA reported on Saturday. Several bus loads of displaced Syrian families have crossed the al-Dabbousia border crossing with Lebanon in the Homs countryside and are heading to their respective towns and villages. Moreover, buses of displaced Syrians in Lebanon reached the Jdeidet Yabous border crossing in Damascus Countryside and are to be transported to their towns liberated from terrorism.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
