Russian-made Alawite fighter jets made rare sorties on the outskirts of the capital, Damascus, killing at least 60 people in its eastern suburbs.
Aerial attacks by at least two Russian fighter jets late on Monday targeted the neighborhood of Zamalka, and the more easterly suburb of Saqba.
Both suburbs are poor and inhabited predominantly by Sunni Muslims, who make up the majority of Syria's population and have been at the forefront of the fighting against the Alawite thug Assad, Syria's dictator.
One of the Russian jets fired rockets at an apartment building, and people run away with their children. The six-storey building collapsed like an accordion.
Monday's air raids came as Turkish officials say up to 10,000 Syrians are waiting on the Syrian side of the border while Turkey rushes to build more camps to accommodate the influx and carries out more stringent security checks on the newcomers.
The focus of the 17-month war appears to have returned to the outskirts of Damascus after weeks of battles centered on the northern city of Aleppo.
At least 62 people were killed by Alawites in an assault on the suburbs of Damascus on Monday, some summarily executed.
The crackdown occurred a day after Assad's troops and pro-regime militias massacred hundreds of people in the neighboring town of Daraya.
Source: Agencies
Kavkaz center