90 Reported Slain as Syria Pounds Rebel-Held North

Strikes Target Rebel Strongholds in Idlib, Aleppo

According to reports from multiple rebel factions, at least 90 people have been killed today in a sustained offensive by Syrian military warplanes and artillery bombardments, focusing on rebel held territory in the far north.

Rebels say that the attacks primarily centered on the Idlib and Aleppo Provinces, unsurprising since those two provinces, which border Turkey, are the site of the bulk of the recent fighting.

Intense rebel offensives have chased the regime out of some key areas along the Turkish border, and have forced the regime to rely more on air power to keep the rebels in those areas from operating with impunity.

The strikes are making it difficult for aid workers to operate in the more rural areas, where the few roads that exist have become impassable because of fighting and shelling. This comes as more and more Syrians are dependent on food aid, with the problem worsening and the fighting seen continuing into the winter months.

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.