Russian airstrikes kill five in Syria’s Idlib

At least five people were killed and 30 others injured as Russian warplanes carried out airstrikes Thursday in Syria's northern province of Idlib, which is part of a de-escalation zone, according to a local civil-defense official.

Mostafa Haj Youssef, director of Syria’s White Helmets civil-defense force in Idlib, told Anadolu Agency that Russian warplanes had targeted a number of residential areas in the evening hours.

Four people were killed in the Maaret al-Numan district and one other in the Saraqib district, according to Yusuf.

“Russian warplanes used napalm bombs, which is forbidden [...] according to international laws,” he said.

Located in northern Syria near the Turkish border, Idlib falls within a network of de-escalation zones -- endorsed by Turkey, Russia and Iran -- in which acts of aggression are expressly forbidden.

Nevertheless, since early last December, airstrikes on opposition-held parts of the province have seen an uptick, with over 100 civilians reportedly killed and scores more injured.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating civil war that began in early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.