Fighting in Syria heats up as Russian-backed airstrikes shut down 3 hospitals, displace 50,000

Fighting in Syria is escalating once again, with government forces setting their sights on rebel-held areas near the country's border with Jordan.

Overnight air strikes have shut down three hospitals near the southwestern city of Deraa, BBC reports. This is the Russian-backed government's latest attack in an offensive push launched last week, which has already displaced nearly 50,000 people.

Deraa, which borders Jordan and the Israeli-held Golan Heights, is one area where Syria's government has lost ground since its civil war began, AFP says. The war did calm down in the past year after Iran, Russia, and Turkey ironed out a deal to cease fighting between Syria and rebel forces, per Al Jazeera. But Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's military has recently ramped up attacks to regain lost territory.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Around 50,000 people have left their Deraa-area homes for nearby countries, says the United Nations. But it's unclear where they'll go, as Jordan recently announced it won't take in these new refugees, per AFP. This displaced population will add to the nearly 5 million refugees who have left Syria since its war began in 2011, along with another 6 million displaced inside the country.