At least 16 civilians were killed in southern Sweida province when Russian warplanes struck a border village with Jordan, spokesman for a U.S.-backed group said.
Saad al-Haj, spokeman for Osoud al-Shariqiya, formed by tribesmen in eastern Qalamoun, said the strikes hit al-Qahef village, northeastern Sweida city. Wounded people with critical conditions were transferred to Jordanian hospitals, al-Haj added.
Russia, key ally of Damascus, and for weeks has been providing an aerial cover for regime troops and allied militias fighting the ISIS and moderate rebels along the border with Iraq and Jordan.
The desert, also known as al Badiya, extends over 90,000 square km (35,000 square miles) from central Syria to the borders with Iraq and Jordan to the east and southeast
