Jets believed to be Russian hit Syrian town near Turkish border: Monitor

Beirut: Warplanes believed to be Russian carried out several air strikes on a Syrian town near the Turkish border on Friday, a monitoring group said, one of several reported close to the boundary this week.

The bombardments came days after Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet it said had entered its air space, raising tensions between the two countries which back opposing sides in Syria`s civil war.

Three air strikes hit the town of Azaz, about 5 km (3 miles) from the Turkish border in northern Aleppo province, killing an estimated five people including a child, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

On Thursday residents said Russian warplanes had bombed the rebel-held Syrian town of Saraqeb along the Turkish border in Idlib province. The day before, jets also believed to be Russian hit a truck depot near the Bab al-Salam border crossing.

Russia has also heavily bombarded insurgent positions in western Syria near where its warplane was shot down, including Turkmen rebels who are supported by Ankara. 

Moscow intervened directly in Syria`s near five-year conflict on September 30 with an air campaign in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.