Deadly Explosion in Syria’s Idlib Caused by US Missile, Not Plane Crash

BEIRUT (Sputnik) — Original media reports of a deadly explosion caused by a military aircraft crashing near the northwestern Syrian city of Jericho in the Idlib Governorate were incorrect as the city was hit by a US cruise missile, the pan-Arabist television channel Al Mayadeen reported Monday, citing a source in Syria.

Earlier in the day, Syrian media reported at least 25 people killed and dozens injured in an explosion in a residential area.

"The reports of a Syrian fighter aircraft crashing in Idlib were false. A cruise missile of the international coalition led by the United States hit [the city]," the source said, quoted by the channel.

Syria has been in a state of a civil war since the 2011 anti-government uprising. The country's authorities are fighting a number of rebel groups, including Islamic State (ISIL) extremists.

Islamic State has gained control of vast swaths of Syria and Iraq in recent years. The US-led international coalition has been conducting airstrikes against ISIL militants in Syria as well as in neighboring Iraq since 2014. Despite the military campaign, the ISIL continues to make significant advances in both countries.

According to UN estimates, the conflict has claimed some 220,000 lives. As of July 2015, at least 11 million people have been displaced by the war in Syria.