• Tweeter

  • republish

Jihadist groups have bombed the coastal city of Latakia, the stronghold of the Syrian regime that houses the Russian air base Hmeimim. Maria ANTONOVA / AFP

For the second time this year, jihadist groups have bombed the coastal city of Latakia, the stronghold of the Syrian regime that houses the Russian air base Hmeimim.

With our correspondent in Beirut, Paul Khalifeh

Grad rockets, fired by jihadist groups based near the border with Turkey, fell Thursday, April 25 on the city of Latakia, capital of the province of the same name.

The site Al-Masdar News reports the fall of several projectiles that have caused significant damage in buildings and cars. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports the fall of one rocket on Thursday and another the day before.

The coastal city of Latakia, considered the most important stronghold of the Syrian power, was already bombed on March 13 by the jihadists present in the mountainous region of Jabal al-Akrad, not far from Turkey.

The shelling comes as the Syrian army and its allies intensify bombing of rebel and jihadist positions in neighboring Idleb and Hama provinces.

According to the Syrian Observatory, some 15 localities were targeted on 25 April by Syrian artillery, in this region where the truce concluded under the sponsorship of Turkey and Russia last September, is violated daily.

After the bombing of Latakia on March 13, Russian planes, taking off from the Hmeimin base near the city, launched violent reprisal raids that destroyed weapons and ammunition depots and made dozens of victims.