Assad and Putin stoop to a new low in Syria

Focus on Syria has dwindled since the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But over a decade after the country’s bloody civil war first started, the conflict rumbles on. Armed groups continue to jockey for position. The death toll, caused by Russia’s air force, Iran’s militias, and Bashar al-Assad’s forces, continues to rise.

To keep the enclave in the country’s north on its toes, perhaps, the Syrian regime likes to lob artillery into villages and call in Russian aerial attacks. This happens often. Civilians frequently die when the missiles and bombs land in marketplaces.

This week saw an intensification of this low-level war on non-combatants. On 6 November, the regime and, most likely, the Russian air force bombed a series – not of towns, as normal – but refugee camps across the province of Idlib. Dozens were killed, including women and children. The youngest victim was one year old.