Gov’t Blamed for Idlib-area Shelling that Kills at Least 7

Syrian forces are said to have been behind early morning shelling that killed at least seven people – four of them children – in and around the northwestern city of Idlib on Wednesday. The city and much of Idlib Province are among the last stronghold of rebels holding out against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. According to rescuers, one of the children was killed by a shell that landed near Idlib’s outdoor market. Four other deaths came in the village of Ariha, just to the south, while two deaths were recorded in Kefraya, a village to the north of Idlib. Overall, some 17 people were reported wounded. Government troops, with backing from Russian forces on the ground and in the air, launched an offensive in the region last fall in an effort to dislodge the last of the rebels. A lull accompanied the coronavirus pandemic, but attacks were renewed in recent weeks. The Syrian civil war began on March 2011.