Syrian and Russian jets bomb rebel-held areas in northwest Syria

Russian and Syrian warplanes bombed rebel-held northwest Syria near the Turkish border on Thursday, targeting insurgents who had captured territory for the first time in years, according to the Syrian army and rebel sources, News.az reports citing Jerusalem Post.

Rebels led by Islamist terror group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham on Wednesday began an incursion into a dozen towns and villages in northwest Aleppo province, which is controlled by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces.

The attack was the biggest since March 2020 when Russia, which backs Assad, and Turkey, which supports the rebels, agreed to a ceasefire that ended years of fighting that uprooted millions of Syrians opposed to Assad's rule.

In its first statement since the surprise campaign, the Syrian army said it had inflicted heavy losses on what it described as terrorists who had attacked on a wide front.

The army said it was cooperating with Russia and unnamed "friendly forces" to regain ground and restore the situation to what it was.

News.Az