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Russian warplanes rained down bombs across the rebel-held parts of Aleppo, killing more than 25 people, including children and women, on Tuesday. The airstrikes, which humanitarian agencies described as the “heaviest” in recent days, follow a relatively calm phase as the Syrian government eased its offensive to allow civilians to leave the rebel-held areas in the east of the city.
The assault comes just a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin called off his visit to Paris after being informed that the talks planned with his French counterpart would be confined to the Syrian conflict, writes the BBC.
In a separate development, Russian defense ministry dismissed U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s allegations that Moscow was involved in an attack on an aid convoy in Syria last month, reports The Guardian. Moscow described Johnson’s accusations as “Russophobic hysteria,” adding that no Russian plane was present in the area at the time of the incident.
Separately, Turkish military which has allied with rebel fighters in northern Syria, said in a statement that Islamic State militants were offering stiff resistance in the areas east of the town of Azaz as Kafrah, Suran, Ihtimalat and Duvaybik, notes Reuters. Under the operation “Euphrates Shield,” aimed at driving out jihadist terrorists along the border, the Turkish forces have killed 47 militants over the past 24 hours.
