The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

After the heaviest day since the start of Putin – Erdogan agreement, war drums beats in Idlib in the light of the violent air onslaught by the Russians and the regime

The Russian warplanes renewed the shelling on areas of the supposed truce on Monday morning, where they carried out a raid on the northern outskirts of Marshourin in the eastern countryside of Maarrat al-Nu’man, and another raid on Mshirfah village in the eastern countryside of Jisr al-Shughur, while the warplanes carried out an airstrike this morning on places in Qal’aat al-Madiq in Sahl al-Ghab, also the warplanes targeted with heavy machineguns places in al-Hwaiz Sahl al-Ghab, while the helicopters dropped 4 barrel bombs on Kafr Nabudah town and al-Bana village north of Hama, while rocket shells landed on places in Muhradah town which is controlled by the regime forces north of Hama and inhabited by Christian citizens, while the Syrian Observatory monitored intensive rocket shelling carried out by the regime forces since after midnight of yesterday until now, where they intensively targeted this morning by missiles places in Kafr Zita and al-Lataminah in the northern countryside of Hama and al-Mestriha in Jabal Shashabo, also they intensively targeted by missiles after midnight of yesterday al-Hbit and Abdeen in southern countryside of Idlib, Kafr Nabudah and al-Lataminah in the northern Countryside of Hama, and al-Twyna and al-Sharia in Sahl al-Ghab, the Syrian Observatory also documented the death of a woman and a man in rocket shelling by the regime forces at midnight of yesterday targeted places in Kafrenbudeh town, the shelling also wounded several people.

This escalation of aerial and ground bombardment and shelling which is considered to be the most violent; was accompanied by continuous preparations and brining of reinforcements by the regime forces, to their positions in Sahl al-Ghab and on the outskirts of Idlib Province, of heavy vehicles, armored vehicles, and soldiers, especially the reinforcements they brought during the past 48 hours, which came in conjunction with brining military and engineering equipment and logistics by the Russian forces to agricultural land southwest of Hayalin village in the western countryside of Hama, where they bulldozed the area and set up tents there, and on the other side, Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham and other factions are fortifying their positions and raising their readiness through military reinforcements they also brought to their points in northern countryside of Hama and Sahl al-Ghab, which warns with battle on the ground, amid fears for the lives of more than 4 million civilians in the area.

The Syrian Observatory published yesterday evening that the Syrian regime’s warplanes and helicopters have been still flying over Idlib province and Hama countryside since this morning along with renewed and continued strikes, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored new airstrikes today evening, Tuesday the 30th of April 2019, on Jabal Shashabo, Sahl Al-Ghab and the northern countryside of Hama, in addition to the southern sector of Idlib countryside, raising to 84, the number of explosive barrels that have been dropped by the helicopters since morning, where they dropped 18 barrels on Kafr Nabudah, 10 barrels on Al-Hawash, 8 barrels on Al-Hbit, 5 barrels on Qalaat al-Madiq, 5 barrels on Al-Huwayz, 5 barrels on Al-Sahriyyeh, 4 barrels on Tremla, 4 barrels on Al-Kirkat, 3 barrels on Deir Sunbul, 3 barrels on Hawija, 3 barrels on Tell Hawash, while Oraynabah, Bab Al-Taqah, Arima, Abdin, Midan Ghazal Kafr Zita and Sheikh Idris were targeted by 2 explosive barrels each, also the village of Al-Sakhr in the north of Hama and and Jesr Bayt al-Ras in Sahl Al-Ghab were targeted by one explosive barrel each, and the helicopters’ airstrikes have resulted in the death of a citizen woman and the fall of injuries in Oraynabah.

The regime’s warplanes also renewed their targeting by heavy machineguns today evening targeting places in Al-Hbit, Sfohen and Maaret Herma in Idlib countryside, after they had carried out 12 airstrikes by missiles today morning, distributed as follows: 4 raids on places in Kafr Nabudah north of Hama, 4 raids on Al-Hbit south of Idlib, 2 raids on the vicinity of Tremla in Idlib countryside, and 2 other raids on Al-Hawash in Sahl Al-Ghab, and the intensive targeting by the heavy machineguns to several areas in both Hama and Idlib countryside resulted in the death of a man in Kafr Nabudah hours ago.

The SOHR also documented today evening, that the Russian warplanes carried out 2 raids on areas in the vicinity of Kafr Naha and Khan Al-Asal in the western sector of Aleppo countryside, which resulted in the fall of wounded amid information about casualties, raising to 11 at least, the number of today’s airstrikes that have been carried out by the Russian warplanes on Hama, Idlib and Aleppo, they are: 4 raids on places in the vicinity of Tremla south of Idlib, 4 raids on places in Al-Lataminah north of Hama, and 2 raids on the vicinity of Khan Al-Asal and Kafr Naha west of Aleppo, as well as a raid on Qasabiyeh south-west of Idlib.

While the regime forces participated in this heaviest escalation where they have targeted the area from after the midnight of Monday – Tuesday and until now, by more than 700 artillery and rocket shells where Kafr Nabudah had the largest share with 300 shells and missiles, followed by Al-Hbit with about 150 shells and missiles, while the rest of shells and missiles were distributed between places in Zammar, Jazraya and Khalseh in the south of Aleppo, Haritan and Kafr Hamra north of Aleppo, Abdin, Horsh Abdin, Qasabiyeh, Horsh Qasabiyeh and al-Z’einiyyeh in both southern and western countryside of Idlib, and Tell Hawash, Kafr Nabudah, Al-Kirkat, Kafr Zita, Al-Lataminah, Al-Zakah, Twinah, Al-Amqiyyah, Qalaat al-Madiq, Al-Ankawi, Hasraya, Al-Sakhr and Qastun in the northern, western and north-western countryside of Hama, in addition to shelling which targeted Jabal Al-Akrad in the northern countryside Latakia.

And with the fall of more casualties, the death toll of casualties rises in the heaviest continuous escalation on its 10th day, to 168 persons in the period since the morning of the 20th of April 2019, until the 30th of April 2019, they are 51 civilians including 12 children and 12 women, were killed in the Russian air bombardment and regime forces’ shelling on areas in Aleppo, Hama, Latakia, and Idlib, including 4 civilians casualty was killed in the fall of shells launched by the factions on Aleppo city, and 19 people were killed in the explosion of a truck loaded with high-explosive materials owned by the jihadi groups in Jisr al-Shughur city west of Idlib, and 28 of the jihadi groups were killed in attacks and clashes against the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them, and 70 of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them were killed in attacks by the jihadi groups on several areas of the demilitarized area.

And during the period between the 15th of February 2019 and the 30th of April 2019, the Syrian Observatory documented the death of 535 people in the Russian – Turkish truce areas, they are 288 civilians including 83 children under the age of eighteen and 69 woman over the age of eighteen, they were killed in the Russian aerial bombardment and the rocket shelling by the regime forces and the factions, and among the death toll of civilians there are 28 people including 6 children under the age of eighteen and 5 citizen women over the age of eighteen, they were killed in the fall of shells launched by the factions, and 88 fighters were killed in different conditions within the demilitarized area since Putin – Erdogan agreement, including 54 fighters of the “jihadis” and 159 of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them.

While the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented since the start of the Russian – Turkish truce the death of 764 people in areas of Erdogan – Putin agreement, they are: 368 civilians including 115 children and 81 women, were killed in shelling by the regime forces and the militiamen loyal to them, targeting, and bombardment by warplanes, and among them there are 31 people including 6 children and 5 women, were killed in the fall of shells launched by the factions, and 155 fighters were killed in deferent circumstances within the demilitarized area since Putin – Erdogan agreement, including 68 of the “Jihadi” fighters and 23 fighters of Jaysh al-Izza, who were killed in ambushes and clashes including a commander at least, they were killed in ambushes and attack by the regime forces in the northern countryside of Hama, and 241 members of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them.