Russia says air force strikes rebels in support of Syrian army, agencies report

Smoke rises as a member of the rebels led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham drives on a motorbike in al-Rashideen

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Defence Ministry said its air force had carried out strikes on Syrian rebels in support of the country's army, Russian news agencies reported on Saturday, amid an advance by forces opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The strikes in support of Assad, a close Moscow ally, followed what was the boldest rebel assault for years in a civil war where frontlines had largely been frozen since 2020.

The state-run Russian Centre for the Reconciliation of the Enemy Parties in Syria said the missile and bomb strikes had targeted "militant concentrations, command posts, depots, and artillery positions" in Aleppo and Idlib provinces.

It added that about 300 rebel fighters had been killed in the attacks.

(Writing by Felix Light and Maxim Rodionov; Editing by Alexander Smith and Helen Popper)