At least seven women and children have been killed Tuesday in Russian air strikes on a largely Turkmen village in the northern countryside of Homs, medics told Zaman al-Wasl.
In an apparent act of provocation, Russia’s air force targeted al-Burj village after reports of new violations to Turkish airspace on Saturday.
In November, Turkey shot down a Russian warplane flying over Mount Turkmen in the coastal province of Lattakia, triggering a diplomatic rupture in which Moscow imposed economic sanctions. Turkish authorities maintain the jet had violated Turkish airspace.
Activists said Russia has conducted more than 200 raids on rebels-held Hama and Homs provinces in the previous two days.
Since Russia's intervention in the Syrian conflict in September with an air campaign in support of President Bashar al-Assad, regime forces have stepped up offensives in the west and north of the country, killing about 2,000 civilians by some estimates.
On Monday, five rebel groups formed a joint operations room to fight regime troops who are waging a major attack on the southern countryside of Hama.
For over a month, regime forces backed by Russian jets have been shelling the town of Harbanfaseh, seeking to cut rebel supply routes in the nearby Hola region.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
