Beirut: Syrian government warplanes struck a residential area in a rebel-controlled area south of Idlib, killing at least six people and wounding more than 20 others, activists said on Monday.
According to the White Helmets rescue organisation, the planes targeted the city of Ariha, which is located 14 kilometres south of Idlib.
Those killed include five women and a child, Ahmed Sheikho, a White Helmets official said, adding that at least eight people including children were still under the rubble.
Mustapha Dahnoun, an activist on the scene, said that at least three buildings were damaged and smoke still covered the area where the attack took place.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that six were killed and 18 wounded, saying the number is likely to increase as some are still under the rubble.
Late last month, forces of Syrian President Bashar al Assad, supported by Russian air power, initiated a massive campaign against fighters in Hama and Idlib, the last major opposition stronghold in Syria. According to the Observatory, some 239 civilians, among them 47 children, have since been killed in the two provinces.
The latest escalation in war-torn Syria has displaced thousands of people and raised fears that a truce of almost eight months in the Idlib enclave will crumble. — dpa
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