Russian and Syrian Airstrikes Kill 45 People in Deir Ezzor

The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported at least 45 people, including children, killed by Russian and Syrian forces on Saturday in Deir Ezzor, a province in eastern Syria.

A report by Voice of America said the casualties were a result of airstrikes on Qourieh, a town in Deir Ezzor province, which is largely under control of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS).

In the town of Manbij, situated in Aleppo province, the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) rebel group, a coalition of Western-backed Kurdish and Arab forces, clashed with ISIS, advancing into the town from the south after securing control of a wheat complex in the southern suburbs.

Russia began its aerial operation in Syria in support of the government in September 2015.

Multiple Suicide Attacks Kill Five in Lebanese Village Near Syrian Border

Five people were killed and at least 15 wounded in a Lebanese village bordering Syria after four suicide bombers detonated their explosive vests on Monday.

The attacks took place in Qaa, a largely Christian village in northeastern Lebanon, only 492 feet (150 meters) away from a customs border point. A Lebanese military official told the Associated Press that the first suicide bomber self-detonated in front of a house, and the three other assailants followed suit, blowing themselves up among the gathering civilians. The official said four military members were also among the wounded.

Qaa is one of only two villages that are predominantly Christian in the northeastern Hermel district in Lebanon. Hezbollah, the militant Shiite group, maintains influence over the Shiite majority region. Repeated bombings in the areas near the Syrian border, claimed by Sunni extremists, have led the Christian villagers of Qaa to establish self-defense groups.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

ISIS Kills Five Syrian Media Activists in Video

A report by the Associated Press describes a video depicting the killing of five Syrian media activists by ISIS that was made public on Sunday.

The activists were captured by ISIS in October and likely killed in December, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Half of the Syrian province the activists were reporting from, Deir Ezzor, is under the control of the group. News of their capture and deaths was not published earlier because their families feared further consequences, and no bodies were returned, said Rami Abdulrahman, the head of the Observatory.

One of the activists, 28-year-old Sami Jawdat, had been contributing to the Observatory since 2011 and was detained previously by ISIS.

In the video, each activist describes how he reported from the area. One said he reports for Al-Jazeera; another said he was a contributor to Human Rights Watch. An ISIS narrator says journalists who report on the group, even if they live in Europe, may be targeted.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 95 reporters have been killed in Syria since 2011.

Recommended Reads:

• Voice of America: U.S.-Russia Tensions Complicate Syria War
• New York Post: ISIS’s Thirst for Blood Only Matched By its Hunger for Publicity
• Al-Jazeera: Weapons for Syrian Rebels Sold on Jordan’s Black Market
• Al-Monitor: Emotional Trauma Leaves Deep Wounds for Syria’s Child Refugees
• Al-Arabiya: Dying in Defense of Assad