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Syria: Russian strikes kill child and his parents in Idlib

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says four Russian strikes occurred in areas close to opposition bases
Syrian Civil Defence crew carrying a body of a civilian killed in Russian air strikes in the outskirts of Idlib on 5 August 2023 (Twitter/White Helmets)
Syrian Civil Defence members carry the body of a civilian killed in Russian air strikes in the outskirts of Idlib on 5 August 2023 (Twitter/White Helmets)

Russian warplanes killed at least three civilians from the same family in the northwest region of Idlib in Syria on Saturday, according to a human rights organisation.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said rescue teams sent volunteers to clear the rubble on the outskirts of Idlib city after the air strikes struck one of the last remaining opposition areas. 

"Russian air strikes this morning" to the west of the city "left three people dead from the same family" and "six other people wounded", the organisation said. The Syrian Civil Defence organisation known as the White Helmets said the three dead were a man, his wife and their son.

SOHR, which documents air strikes and human rights violations in Syria, added that Russian warplanes carried out four strikes in areas with opposition bases. 

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It also said civilian casualties had been limited this year until late June, which saw an uptick in violence. 

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has clawed back power from rebel forces after Iran and Russia intervened to support him in the Syrian civil war. 

In June, Russian air strikes killed at least 13 people in Idlib province in an attack described by the Observatory as the deadliest of the year. 

Nine civilians, including two children, were among the dead, with six people killed in a fruit market in Jisr Al-Shughur. 

The Syrian civil war broke out nearly 12 years ago after government forces violently quelled peaceful protests against Assad. 

The war has killed more than half-a-million people and displaced more than 12 million others.

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