A series of airstrikes and artillery attacks against various targets in the Nusra Front-controlled northwestern Syrian province of Idlib have left at least 20 civilians killed, 10 of them civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The largest attack, according to the observatory, was in Khan Sheikun, where seven children and two pregnant women were killed. The observatory said their initial information was that the strikes there were carried out by Russian forces.
Russia’s defense ministry, however, denied any involvement, saying that no Russian airplanes had been operating in the area today and complaining that the observatory was engaged in “information provocations” against them.
Though it’s often unclear who is responsible for such strikes, Russia has carried out multiple attacks against Idlib in recent weeks. While Russia doesn’t always provide absolute clarity on their operations, it is unusual for them to offer such a pointed denial.