Russia has announced that it conducted airstrikes in Syria's Idlib province, targeting a terrorist group and killing more than 30 members. As the key supporter of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, Russia has been providing military, political, and economic assistance to the country throughout its ten-year-long civil war. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, on November 11, the country's aerospace forces carried out airstrikes against illegal armed groups that had attacked the Syrian government army. The strikes specifically targeted underground shelters and training camps of the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group, resulting in the death of 34 fighters and injuring over 60 others.

It is important to note that Moscow used the old name for the group, which is currently known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. Although the report by the Russian Defense Ministry remains unverified by the AFP, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) also reported Russian strikes against the group on the same day, resulting in the death of five fighters. The northwestern region of Idlib is currently the last area in Syria under rebel control.

The intensification of airstrikes by the Syrian government and Russian forces in Idlib follows a recent drone attack on a military academy in Homs, which claimed the lives of over 100 people, as reported by the SOHR. Furthermore, a ceasefire was negotiated between Russia and Turkey in 2020 to quell the violence in Idlib after a major offensive by the Syrian government. However, violations of the ceasefire continue to occur frequently.