On January 17 morning, the Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) and the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) launched wide-scale strikes on the opposition-held part of the southwestern Aleppo countryside.
According to local sources, Syrian and Russian warplanes have conducted more than 17 airstrikes on the region, so far. Most of the airstrikes targeted the area of ICARDA.
Al-Mayadeen TV said that the airstrikes targeted positions of al-Qaeda-affiliated Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP). The Chinese Uyghurs terrorist group is a close ally of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which dominates Greater Idlib.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JMPQcPUXXg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3cm5Fds6P8
A few minutes before the airstrikes, a rocket attack targeted the district of al-Zahra in the northwestern part of Aleppo city. The attack killed a civilian and injured at least two others.
A similar attack, carried out with Turkish-made rockets, claimed the lives of seven civilians and injured eighteen others, including children, a day earlier.
The situation around Aleppo could escalate further soon. Pro-government activists are reporting that the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) is preparing to launch a ground operation in the region to secure Aleppo’s city center.
