The Syrian regime’s air forces have escalated the bombardment of Idlib governorate and rural Hama’s areas despite the pacification that Russia officially declared yesterday, Wednesday (June 12).

Enab Baladi’s correspondent for rural Idlib has today, Thursday, June 13, reported that the Syrian regime’s warplanes have intensified attacks on Idlib and rural Hama since Russia announced the pacification in the area, focusing on the cities and towns in the southern rural parts, including Khan Shaykhun, Kafar Sijnah and Ehsim.

The correspondent reported the death of a civilian man and the injury of a woman in the town of Moqa, near Khan Shaykhun, in an artillery shelling initiated by the Assad forces against the area.

The Russian reconnaissance planes, the correspondent added, have not departed from the area’s aerial space, in sync with the shelling conducted by the Syrian regime’s warplanes.

Russia has yesterday announced reaching a ceasefire agreement in the rural parts of Idlib and Hama under a Turkish auspice, according to the Chief of Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria Major General Viktor Kupchishin.

“Initiated by the Russian side and under a Russian and Turkish auspice, a deal has been reached, providing for an ultimate ceasefire in the full range of Idlib starting at 12 am on June 12,” Major General Viktor Kupchishin said, as quoted by the Russian news agency TASS, among others.

Kupchishin added that a marked decline in the shelling on the part of the opposition factions in the area was registered, thanks to the pacification.

Turkey has not so far commented on the pacification that Russia declared, while it announced the shelling of one of its observation posts in rural Hama, the source of which is the Assad forces positioned in the al-Sharia area.

Six persons, including a woman and two children, got injured, in addition to the massive material damage that befell the bakery in the town of Hass, rural Idlib, rendering it out of service as a result of the attacking the town with a missile shelling on the part of the Assad forces, positioned in northern rural Hama, the Syrian Civil Defense (SCD) reported today.

The SCD added that the regime’s warplanes have initiated an aerial raid, with which they attacked the International Highway, passing near the city of Khan Shaykhun, and other tow raids, during one of which the city was a target to four missiles at the same time.

The warplanes have also targeted the Sufuhon town with five raids and the outskirts of the al-Mastumah village with two raids, while the vicinity of al-Tah town was targeted with one raid and Kafar Sijnah with two, which resulted in material damage of houses and possessions.

Naji Mustafa, the spokesperson of the National Front for Liberation (NFL), has refuted reaching any pacification in northern rural Hama, considering it a one-sided deal, represented by Russia.

“There is not a pacification, nor a deal, the talk has been done by a single side that of the regime and Russia,” Mustafa told Enab Baladi yesterday.

The pacification is being addressed at a time where the Assad forces and their supportive militias are attempting to achieve progress at the disadvantage of the opposition factions in northern rural Latakia.

The opposition factions, for their part, have in the past days advanced to new posts in the northern and western rural parts of Hama, on top of which are Tal Meleh, al-Jbian and al-Dahra school.

Idlib is subjected to the Sochi deal, signed by Russia and Turkey in September 2018, which provides for a ceasefire and the establishment of a demilitarized area.