Russia bombs Syrian insurgents after alleged use of chlorine
Russian and the Syrian authorities accused the opponents of Syrian President Bashar-al Assad of shelling Aleppo with chemical munitions. Russian air force struck their positions in retaliation. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights stated on Sunday, November 25 that air strikes on the Western outskirts of Aleppo, near the Idlib province, have become the first in the northwest of Syria since September when Russia and Turkey agreed to the establish a buffer zone along the demarcation.
The representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Igor Konashenkov stated that the strikes on the positions of Assad's opponents were made by the Russian air forces and destroyed the positions of the militants. Russia claims that, according to the intelligence information, Islamists are prepared to use chemical munitions again. Turkey was warned of the attacks in advance via "hot line," Konashenkov noted.
Earlier, Russia and authorities in Damascus accused Jabhat al-Nusra militants of shelling the positions of the Syrian army with shells filled with chlorine which affected 107 residents of Aleppo. According to Konashenkov, the civilians exhibited symptoms of asphyxiation.