13 civilians killed in Assad regime attacks in Syria

Idlib [Syria]: At least 13 civilians were killed on Wednesday in attacks by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and allied militias on de-escalation zones in northern Syria, sources with the White Helmets civil defence agency said.

Three people died in regime shelling in Al-Bara village while three more lost their lives in Habit town, Anadolu news agency quoted sources as saying.

Seven civilians were killed in Sarja village in the southern countryside of Idlib, the sources of White Helmets said.

The Syrian opposition parties said that the attacks on Habit were carried out by a Russian warplane that took off from Khmeimim airbase in Latakia, according to Anadolu.

In September last year, Turkey and Russia agreed on a ceasefire on Idlib, where the two sides agreed that the province would act as a de-escalation zone and promised to refrain from staging acts of aggression in the demarcated area.

However, regime forces have been launching several attacks in the de-escalation zone, thereby violating the truce terms.

Over 170 civilians have lost their lives in Idlib since April 25. The province is home to about three million people.

More than 370,000 people were killed and millions were displaced in Syria and abroad since the beginning of the Syrian war in March 2011.

International inspectors say that Assad’s forces, who are fighting to regain control over the last rebel-held Idlib province, have carried out a series of chemical attacks in the course of the brutal civil war.

[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]