US voices 'grave concern' over Idlib attacks

By Michael Hernandez</p> <p>WASHINGTON (AA) – The U.S. voiced &quot;grave concern&quot; Thursday over a series of attacks in northern Syria's Idlib province blamed on the Assad regime and Russia. </p> <p>&quot;Despite Russia’s claims to be targeting terrorists, these operations have caused dozens of civilian casualties and have targeted first responders as they attempt to save lives on the ground,&quot; State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said in a statement. </p> <p>&quot;These abhorrent attacks on civilian infrastructure and on settlements for internally displaced people must end now,&quot; Palladino added. </p> <p>Along with regime artillery barrages, Russian SU-34 warplanes struck central Idlib and its rural outskirts, leaving 15 dead, including eight children, the White Helmets civil defense group said Thursday.</p> <p>Regime attacks in Idlib’s de-escalation zone, in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited, are believed to have killed at least 138 civilians since the start of the year.</p> <p>Last September, Ankara and Moscow agreed to turn Idlib into a demilitarized zone following a meeting in Russia's coastal city of Sochi between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.</p> <p>The U.S. warned that the latest spate of attacks risks destabilizing the surrounding region, thereby furthering Syria's humanitarian catastrophe. </p> <p>&quot;As a party to the September 2018 Idlib ceasefire agreement with Turkey, Russia bears full responsibility for these offensive operations against northern Hama and southern Idlib,&quot; Palladino said. </p> <p>&quot;We call on all parties, including Russia and the Syrian regime, to abide by their commitments and de-escalate violence in the area, protect all civilians, including humanitarian aid workers, and allow unhindered humanitarian access to address the humanitarian disaster created by the Assad regime’s forces,&quot; he added.