Aircraft of Russia’s Aerospace Defense Forces destroyed militants in Syria, who shelled civilians in Aleppo with chemical munitions on Saturday, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov told reporters.

"The planes of Russia’s Aerospace Defense Forces carried out strikes on the detected artillery positions of terrorists in the area, from where the shelling of Aleppo civilians with chemical munitions was conducted late on November 24," Konashenkov said.

All militants’ targets were destroyed during the airstrikes, he stressed.

The spokesman noted that Russia’s intelligence found the weapons, which were used to fire Aleppo with toxic substances, in a demilitarized zone of the Idlib Governorate. "The signs were detected that there had been preparations to use them again," the general said.

The Turkish side had been warned about the Russian strikes via a hotline, he said.

On Saturday, Surya government TV channel reported that the shelling targeted a crowded Nil Street, Al-Khalidiyah and Jam’ayat al-Zahra neighborhoods. Police blamed the Jabhat al-Nusra (terror group outlawed in Russia) for the attack.

According to SANA news agency, at least 107 civilians were hospitalized after militants had fired shells at Aleppo containing toxic gases. Many cases of asphyxiation were reported.

Russia’s military chemical experts arrived in Aleppo to carry out monitoring in the Idlib de-escalation zone, where the situation is controlled by the Turkish side in line with the agreements. According to Konashenkov, preliminary data indicates that chlorine was used in the attack.