At least 11 civilians were killed and dozens more wounded Saturday in airstrikes on a central Syrian village that activists said were likely carried out by Russia.
"The raids targeted a livestock market in the village of Oqayrabat, held by ISIS in Hama province," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
"They are probably Russian airstrikes," he said, adding that 45 people were also wounded,
Oqayrabat lies northwest of Palmyra, the ancient desert city that was recaptured by Russian-backed government forces from ISIS Wednesday.
The road between the two had been often used by extremists to travel between the provinces of Hama and Homs, where Palmyra lies.
Abdel Rahman said the raids on the village were part of "new military operations by the Syrian government and its Russian ally targeting extremist positions in Hama province".
Syrian and Russian warplanes Saturday were heavily bombing ISIS extremists north and east of Palmyra, which has changed hands several times in Syria's nearly six-year war.
ISIS overran the city for the second time on Dec. 11.
A day later, 53 civilians were killed in a barrage of raids on Oqayrabat and other nearby villages, according to the Observatory.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) also raised fears at the time that chemical weapons may have been used in airstrikes on Oqayrabat.
The Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria for its information, says it determines whose planes carry out raids according to type, location, flight patterns and munitions used.
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