At Least 10 Children Killed in Russian, Syrian Airstrikes Against ISIS Territory

Increasing Strikes Force Lebanon, Iraq to Reroute Commercial Flights

Back by Syrian warplanes, Russia is escalating its own airstrikes against ISIS territory, with a flurry of attacks on Deir Ezzor on Friday evening killing at least 36 people. 10 children were among the slain, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The attacks, like so many in recent days, centered around oilfields in ISIS-controlled territory, aiming to deny ISIS the revenue from oil smuggling. These oilfields are largely run by local and tribal factions, however, putting civilian workers in the targeting sights of US and Russian warplanes.

Russian strikes and increased military operations in the area are putting pressure on commercial flights as well, with Lebanon rerouting some flights out of Beirut, and Iraq announcing a temporary halt to flights into the Iraqi Kurdistan region because of cruise missiles in the vicinity.

The UN Security Council approved yet another anti-ISIS measure Friday, urging all nations to take “all necessary measures” against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. The resolution, drafted by France, is just the latest in a series of resolutions which nations are using as the international legal justification for their ever-escalating strikes.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.