Syria Activists: dead after Syrian airstrikes on Idlib

According to activists, the Syrian army has carried out airstrikes on the rebel-held city of Idlib in the north-west of the country. There were civilian casualties and numerous residential buildings were destroyed, according to activists from the Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets.

Russia, an ally of the Syrian government, had already bombed the city of Aleppo on Monday night.

In the middle of last week, an alliance of insurgents led by the Islamist group Haiat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched an offensive in north-western Syria and took control of Aleppo, the country's second-largest city, at the weekend.

Syria's ruler Bashar al-Assad announced a counter-offensive. According to Syrian government sources, the army has recaptured areas around Hama, south of Aleppo, from the rebels.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 440 people were killed in the latest fighting over a period of five days, most of them rebels and government forces.

According to the London-based organization, more than 60 civilians were among the dead. They obtain their information from a network of informants in Syria.

SDA