Bomb Blast Kills 126 Evacuees From Fou’a and Kafraya

At least 126 people were killed in a bomb attack on Saturday that targeted evacuees from two towns in northern Syria, Reuters reported.

The blast hit buses carrying residents of two predominantly Shiite towns in Idlib province, Fou’a and Kafraya, which are besieged by rebels. The two towns have an evacuation agreement brokered by Iran and Qatar with Madaya and Zabadani, two opposition-held towns besieged by the government outside Damascus.

The convoy was carrying at least 5,000 people, including pro-government fighters, and was targeted by the bomb blast on the outskirts of Aleppo city while it waited in a bus garage. More than 60 children were killed in the attack, according to the U.N. and the U.K.-based monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

The main Syrian opposition group condemned the attack. Syrian state TV blamed the attack on a suicide bomber. No group has claimed responsibility.

Air Raids on Deir Ezzor Kill 23 People

At least 23 people were killed in airstrikes on Deir Ezzor province on Monday by warplanes suspected to belong to the U.S.-led coalition, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Reuters reported.

Warplanes “believed to belong to the international coalition” targeted the eastern town of al-Bukamal, located near the Iraqi border, killing three militants from the so-called Islamic State and 13 civilians.

Air raids also hit the town of al-Husainiyah in the western countryside of Deir Ezzor, killing at least seven civilians.

Most of Deir Ezzor’s provincial capital is held by the government, but the rest of the city and the countryside are controlled by the so-called Islamic State. This territory connects to areas under the group’s control in Iraq.

Nearly 200,000 people in government-held parts of Deir Ezzor have been under ISIS siege for the past two years. The U.S.-led coalition has not yet commented on the reported civilian deaths.

Army Advance Reverses Rebel Gains in Central Syria

Syrian government forces advanced in Hama province, taking back control of a strategic town from rebel forces, Reuters reported.

Russian airstrikes and Iranian militias backed the Syrian military, taking back the town of Soran, located in the provincial capital’s northern gateway. The advance has pushed back rebels and allied jihadist groups from towns they gained in a recent offensive in Hama province.

RECOMMENDED READS

• The New York Times: Dozens Killed as Blast Strikes Convoy Carrying Evacuated Syrians
• Syria Untold: E.U. Should Play Major Role in Syria Reconstruction
• Al Jazeera: Trump’s Lack of Strategy on Syria Is Dangerous
• The Century Foundation: Turkey’s ‘Turkey First’ Syria Policy
• The New York Times: As Atrocities Mount in Syria, Justice Seems out of Reach