Russia intensifies Idlib attacks ahead of summit with Turkey, Iran on Syria

Some believe that the Russian escalation in Syria’s Idlib is either a prelude to a major assault or a means of increasing pressure on Turkey.
A man carries away a girl who was injured during aerial bombardment at a camp for displaced Syrians near the town of Kafraya in the north of Syria's rebel-held Idlib province on Sept. 7, 2021.
A man carries away a girl who was injured during aerial bombardment at a camp for displaced Syrians near the town of Kafraya in the north of Syria's rebel-held Idlib province on Sept. 7, 2021. - OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images
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Mohammed Hardan
@_MohammedHardan

Since early September, Russia has been stepping up its military attacks and airstrikes in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib and its surroundings. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad in Moscow on Sept. 13, at about the same time the hostilities began to intensify.

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