Syria war: ‘Flagrant’ war crimes committed in Idlib offensive, UN says

Russia and China also veto UN extension of cross-border aid to war-wrecked country

A ruined house in the rebel-held town of Nairab in Syria's Idlib province (Reuters)

Syrian and Russian airstrikes on schools, hospitals and markets in opposition-held Idlib amount to “flagrant” war crimes, UN investigators have said in a damning new report.

The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria released its findings just hours before Russia and China vetoed a Security Council resolution to keep two key cross-border aid points from Turkey to opposition-held northwestern Syria open for another year. Rights groups called the veto “despicable and dangerous”, warning that it could see Syrians starve.

The new probe into Idlib, released on Tuesday, outlined the scale of the damage caused by the regime offensive on the province between November 2019 and last month.