Russia claimed to have killed over thirty members of a "terrorist group" in airstrikes it conducted in the Syrian province of Idlib.Moscow has been the main military, political, and financial backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the entirety of the nation's ten-year civil conflict.
The defense ministry released a statement on Sunday night stating, "On November 11, Russia's aerospace forces carried out air strikes in Idlib province against sites of illegal armed groups that had fired on the Syrian government army."
Thirty-four militants were killed and over sixty were injured in the strikes, which damaged the "Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group's" underground shelters and training centers.
The organization was formerly known by its present name, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which Moscow still uses.
The Russian strikes against the group, an Al-Qaeda spin-off, on the same day claimed the lives of five fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
The only part of Syria still ruled by rebels is the northwest region of Idlib.
Following a drone attack on a military academy in Homs last month that left over 100 people dead, the Syrian government and Russian forces increased their strikes on targets in the area, according to SOHR.
Following an attack by the Syrian government, Russia and Turkey established a ceasefire in Idlib in 2020, although there are often violations.