Russian airstrikes in northwestern Syria have killed at least eleven people, including seven civilians. At least 30 people were also injured, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Sunday.

The attacks in the city of Jisr ash-Shughour and in Idlib were aimed at the Al-Qaeda offshoot Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is considered the dominant force in the region. They were allegedly carried out in retaliation for drone attacks in Kardah, the hometown of Bashar al-Assad's family, and the town of Salhab in the south-west of the country, which is under regime control. The Observatory, which is based in London, fears that the death toll will continue to rise.

Russia, along with the mullah regime in Iran, is the Assad government's most important ally and has repeatedly supported the regime's advance in Idlib from the air. Sunday's bombings were the first by the Russian air force in Idlib this year.