Airstrikes outside Syrian capital kill at least 25 civilians

BEIRUT (AP) — Russian and Syrian government forces launched a new wave of airstrikes on Tuesday, killing at least 25 civilians in a besieged area just outside of Syria's capital, Damascus, according to activists and a war monitoring group.

The onslaught came a day after a rash of airstrikes battered Syrian opposition areas, killing more than 28 people around the country and striking at hospitals and residential buildings in the northwestern Idlib province. Syrian government forces have been on the offensive in Idlib in recent weeks but the push intensified after militants shot down a Russian Su-25 fighter jet near the town of Saraqeb over the weekend.