Dozens of people, including civilians, have been killed in air strikes on the rebel-held Syrian city of Idlib, according to several sources, in some of the most ferocious raids there in months.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Tuesday that at least 26 people were killed and casualties were expected to rise as rescue workers searched for bodies under the rubble.

"Ten civilians, mostly women, are among the dead," Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the UK-based monitoring group tracking development's in Syria's conflict, told AFP news agency.

READ MORE: Idlib's rebel split - A crossroads for Syrian opposition

Abdel Rahman said the raids were probably carried out by Russian fighter jets - allied with Syria's government - or by a US-backed air coalition.

The strikes also wounded scores of people and levelled several multi-storey buildings in residential areas of the northwestern city, according to witnesses, who told Reuters news agency that the extent of the damage and the debris bore the hallmarks of a Russian attack.

But Russia's defence ministry said later on Tuesday media reports that its planes had bombed Idlib were not true, Interfax news agency reported.

The Civil Defence, a volunteer rescue group operating in rebel-held areas, gave a different death toll, saying 15 bodies were pulled from the rubble and that 30 wounded people were taken for treatment.

READ MORE: Syria hanged 13,000 in notorious prison, says Amnesty

Video footage by activists on social media showed civilians, including young children, being treated in a main city hospital where the injured had been taken for treatment.

"We are still pulling bodies from the rubble," Issam al Idlibi, a volunteer civil defence worker, told Reuters.

Russian planes have targeted a number of towns and villages in the area since entering the Syrian conflict in September 2015 to back ally President Bashar al-Assad.

Activists and residents said there had been a reduction of Russian strikes in Idlib province since a Turkish-Russian brokered cessation of hostilities late December.

Planes from the US-led coalition have launched a number of attacks in the rural province, a major stronghold of fighters, many of them formerly affiliated to al-Qaeda.

Idlib's population has been swollen by thousands of Syrian fighters and their families evacuated from villages and towns around Damascus and Aleppo city, which was retaken by the government in recent months.</s>
• US, Russia agree on ceasefire to ease Syria crisis A series of airstrikes on an opposition-held district in the Syrian city of Homs, presumably carried out by or Syria, killed at least nine civilians today, local activists said.

 

 Pro-government forces shelled the city's al-Waer neighborhood with tank and artillery fire in conjunction with the airstrikes, the Local Coordination Committees, an activist network, reported. 

 

 Government forces have kept the opposition-held neighborhood under siege since 2013, according to the Washington-based Siege Watch. An estimated 75,000 people are trapped inside.

 

 The local Civil Defense search-and-rescue team, also known as the White Helmets, said the airstrikes hit one of its centers in al-Waer, wounding one volunteer. The government and its allies have regularly targeted hospitals and first responder positions in the course of the Syrian civil war, which is approaching its seventh year.

 

 The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported that 9 civilians were killed in the raids. is Syria's third-largest city. Government forces retook most of the city in 2014, effectively ending an anti-government protest movement that had gripped since 2011.

 

 The al-Waer assault comes one day after presumed Russian or Syrian government aircraft bombed the rebel-held city of Idlib and marks the second major violation of a month-old cease-fire between the government and rebels in as many days. The Observatory said 24 civilians were killed in 7 strikes across Idlib yesterday. The Idlib Civil Defense said 26 people were killed.

 

 The December 30 cease-fire was brokered by and Iran, both of which are key allies of Syrian President Bashar Assad, and Turkey, which supports the opposition. Each side has accused the other of repeated violations.

 

 Turkey is meanwhile in talks with to coordinate troop movements around northern to avoid any encounter with the Syrian military, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman told private NTV television today.

 

 Syrian government forces and Turkish-backed opposition fighters are in a race to seize the town of al-Bab from the Islamic State group.

 

 Turkish and Syrian forces have so far avoided direct conflict, despite hostile rhetoric between Erdogan and Assad. The twin offensives put the two forces within 3 kilometers of one another, on opposite sides of al-Bab.

 

 Erdogan spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Turkish troops had reached the center of al-Bab and were fighting to secure it, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists inside Syria, said the Turkish force was still at the town's outskirts. A series of airstrikes on an opposition-held district in the Syrian city of Homs, presumably carried out by or Syria, killed at least nine civilians today, local activists said.Pro-government forces shelled the city's al-Waer neighborhood with tank and artillery fire in conjunction with the airstrikes, the Local Coordination Committees, an activist network, reported.Government forces have kept the opposition-held neighborhood under siege since 2013, according to the Washington-based Siege Watch. An estimated 75,000 people are trapped inside.The local Civil Defense search-and-rescue team, also known as the White Helmets, said the airstrikes hit one of its centers in al-Waer, wounding one volunteer. The government and its allies have regularly targeted hospitals and first responder positions in the course of the Syrian civil war, which is approaching its seventh year.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported that 9 civilians were killed in the raids. is Syria's third-largest city. Government forces retook most of the city in 2014, effectively ending an anti-government protest movement that had gripped since 2011.The al-Waer assault comes one day after presumed Russian or Syrian government aircraft bombed the rebel-held city of Idlib and marks the second major violation of a month-old cease-fire between the government and rebels in as many days. The Observatory said 24 civilians were killed in 7 strikes across Idlib yesterday. The Idlib Civil Defense said 26 people were killed.The December 30 cease-fire was brokered by and Iran, both of which are key allies of Syrian President Bashar Assad, and Turkey, which supports the opposition. Each side has accused the other of repeated violations.Turkey is meanwhile in talks with to coordinate troop movements around northern to avoid any encounter with the Syrian military, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman told private NTV television today.Syrian government forces and Turkish-backed opposition fighters are in a race to seize the town of al-Bab from the Islamic State group.Turkish and Syrian forces have so far avoided direct conflict, despite hostile rhetoric between Erdogan and Assad. The twin offensives put the two forces within 3 kilometers of one another, on opposite sides of al-Bab.Erdogan spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Turkish troops had reached the center of al-Bab and were fighting to secure it, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists inside Syria, said the Turkish force was still at the town's outskirts.

A series of airstrikes on an opposition-held district in the Syrian city of Homs, presumably carried out by or Syria, killed at least nine civilians today, local activists said.Pro-government forces shelled the city's al-Waer neighborhood with tank and artillery fire in conjunction with the airstrikes, the Local Coordination Committees, an activist network, reported.Government forces have kept the opposition-held neighborhood under siege since 2013, according to the Washington-based Siege Watch. An estimated 75,000 people are trapped inside.The local Civil Defense search-and-rescue team, also known as the White Helmets, said the airstrikes hit one of its centers in al-Waer, wounding one volunteer. The government and its allies have regularly targeted hospitals and first responder positions in the course of the Syrian civil war, which is approaching its seventh year.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported that 9 civilians were killed in the raids. is Syria's third-largest city. Government forces retook most of the city in 2014, effectively ending an anti-government protest movement that had gripped since 2011.The al-Waer assault comes one day after presumed Russian or Syrian government aircraft bombed the rebel-held city of Idlib and marks the second major violation of a month-old cease-fire between the government and rebels in as many days. The Observatory said 24 civilians were killed in 7 strikes across Idlib yesterday. The Idlib Civil Defense said 26 people were killed.The December 30 cease-fire was brokered by and Iran, both of which are key allies of Syrian President Bashar Assad, and Turkey, which supports the opposition. Each side has accused the other of repeated violations.Turkey is meanwhile in talks with to coordinate troop movements around northern to avoid any encounter with the Syrian military, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman told private NTV television today.Syrian government forces and Turkish-backed opposition fighters are in a race to seize the town of al-Bab from the Islamic State group.Turkish and Syrian forces have so far avoided direct conflict, despite hostile rhetoric between Erdogan and Assad. The twin offensives put the two forces within 3 kilometers of one another, on opposite sides of al-Bab.Erdogan spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Turkish troops had reached the center of al-Bab and were fighting to secure it, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists inside Syria, said the Turkish force was still at the town's outskirts.</s>BEIRUT — A series of airstrikes on an opposition-held district in the Syrian city of Homs, presumably carried out by Russia or Syria, killed at least nine civilians on Wednesday, local activists said.

Pro-government forces shelled the city's al-Waer neighborhood with tank and artillery fire in conjunction with the airstrikes, the Local Coordination Committees, an activist network, reported.

Government forces have kept the opposition-held neighborhood under siege since 2013, according to the Washington-based Siege Watch. An estimated 75,000 people are trapped inside.

The local Civil Defense search-and-rescue team, also known as the White Helmets, said the airstrikes hit one of its centers in al-Waer, wounding one volunteer. The government and its allies have regularly targeted hospitals and first responder positions in the course of the Syrian civil war, which is approaching its seventh year.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported that 9 civilians were killed in the raids.

Homs is Syria's third-largest city. Government forces retook most of the city in 2014, effectively ending an anti-government protest movement that had gripped Homs since 2011.

The al-Waer assault comes one day after presumed Russian or Syrian government aircraft bombed the rebel-held city of Idlib and marks the second major violation of a month-old cease-fire between the government and rebels in as many days.

The Observatory said 24 civilians were killed in 7 strikes across Idlib Tuesday. The Idlib Civil Defense said 26 people were killed.

The Dec. 30 cease-fire was brokered by Russia and Iran, both of which are key allies of Syrian President Bashar Assad, and Turkey, which supports the opposition. Each side has accused the other of repeated violations.

Turkey is meanwhile in talks with Russia to coordinate troop movements around northern Syria to avoid any encounter with the Syrian military, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman told private NTV television Wednesday.

Syrian government forces and Turkish-backed opposition fighters are in a race to seize the town of al-Bab from the Islamic State group.

Turkish and Syrian forces have so far avoided direct conflict, despite hostile rhetoric between Erdogan and Assad. The twin offensives put the two forces within 3 kilometers (2 miles) of one another, on opposite sides of al-Bab.

Erdogan spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Turkish troops had reached the center of al-Bab and were fighting to secure it, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists inside Syria, said the Turkish force was still at the town's outskirts.</s>AMMAN, Feb 7 (Reuters) - At least 30 people died in air strikes on the rebel-held Syrian city of Idlib on Tuesday, in some of the heaviest raids there in months, witnesses and rescue workers said.

Around eight attacks by what witnesses believed to be Russian jets wounded scores of people and leveled several multi-storey buildings in residential areas of the northwestern city, they added.

Russia's Defence Ministry later said media reports that its planes had bombed Idlib were not true, Interfax news agency reported.

Two rescue workers said the death toll was at least 30. The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 26 people were killed and casualties were expected to rise as rescue workers searched for bodies under the rubble.

Video footage by activists on social media showed civilians, including young children, being treated in a main city hospital where the injured had been rushed for treatment.

"We are still pulling bodies from the rubble," said Issam al Idlibi, a volunteer civil defence worker.

The extent of the damage and the debris bore the hallmarks of a Russian attack, two witnesses said.

Russian planes have targeted a number of towns and villages in the area since entering the Syrian conflict in September 2015 to back ally President Bashar al-Assad.

But activists and residents also said there had been a reduction of Russian strikes in Idlib province since a Turkish-Russian brokered cessation of hostilities late December.

Planes from the U.S.-led coalition have also launched a number of attacks in the rural province, a major stronghold of jihadists, many of them formerly affiliated to al Qaeda.

Idlib's population has been swollen by thousands of Syrian fighters and their families evacuated from villages and towns around Damascus and Aleppo city, which was retaken by the government in recent months.

Separately, at least four people were killed in air strikes by unknown jets in the town of Arbin in rebel-held Eastern Ghouta, northeast of the capital. The Syrian army and pro-government militias have been seeking in recent days to gain new ground there.</s>Airstrikes on a rebel-held city in Syria early Tuesday killed at least 15 people, wounded dozens more and demolished several buildings, in one of the deadliest attacks since a cease-fire went into effect last year, Syrian activists and medics said.

The airstrikes hit the city of Idlib, the capital of a northwestern province of the same name that is almost entirely controlled by Syrian rebels and al-Qaida-linked insurgents.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 26 people were killed, including 10 civilians — mostly women. The opposition-run Civil Defense in Idlib says 15 bodies were pulled from the rubble and that 30 people were taken for medical treatment. Conflicting casualty tolls are common in the chaotic aftermath of such attacks.

Opposition activists also reported airstrikes on several suburbs of the capital, Damascus.

The government and the opposition have repeatedly traded accusations of violating the cease-fire, which was brokered by Russia and Turkey and went into effect in December, shortly after the government recaptured the northern city of Aleppo.

The Observatory said it was not clear if the airstrikes were carried out by Syrian, Russian or the U.S.-led coalition that has been targeting the Islamic State group and al-Qaida’s affiliate in Syria.

The Russian military denied that its warplanes have attacked Idlib. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said that Russian warplanes haven’t conducted a single strike on Idlib this year.

The United Nations on Tuesday called on all parties to the Syrian war to seek an end to the bloodshed.

We deplore the loss of civilian life there as we have in other parts of Syria as the conflict rages,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at U.N. headquarters in New York. “As we see continuing civilian deaths it should redouble everyone’s determination to reach a political agreement.”

Russia has waged an air campaign in Syria since September 2015, providing a crucial boost for Assad’s forces in battles with extremist groups as well as the mainstream opposition.

The airstrikes came a day after Syrian President Bashar Assad said the European Union should have no role in the reconstruction of Syria unless it changes its policy toward the country. He said European countries that support “terrorists” in Syria “cannot destroy and build at the same time.” Assad’s government views all those fighting against it as terrorists.

In the same interview, given to Belgian media on Monday, Assad said U.S. President Donald Trump’s vows to fight terrorism were “promising” but that it’s still too early to “expect anything” on the ground. He welcomed the possibility of increased cooperation between the U.S. and his close ally Russia, saying it would be “positive for the rest of the world, including Syria.”

When asked about the cease-fire, Assad said “it’s not dead, and it’s natural in every cease-fire anywhere in the world, in every war, in any conflict, to have these breaches.”

Syria’s conflict, which began with a 2011 uprising against the Assad family’s four-decade rule, has killed an estimated 300,000 people and destroyed much of the country. The U.N. has estimated that reconstruction will cost around $350 billion.

The headquarters of Fateh al-Sham Front and the surrounding neighborhood in Idlib city were battered by at least 10 strikes at dawn, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of sources on the ground for its reports.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman initially said 10 civilians were killed, but after further verification, he said the victims included “16 civilians, most of them women and children.”

“The toll could rise because some people are trapped under the rubble and unaccounted for,” he said.

Abdel Rahman said the raids were probably carried out by Russian warplanes — allied with Syria’s government — or by a U.S.-backed air coalition.

But Russia quickly denied it had struck Idlib.

“Russian military planes did not carry out a single strike in Idlib yesterday, or this week, or even since the beginning of 2017,” the defense ministry in Moscow said in a statement.

“Any information on these strikes are well-known lies.”

Russia has waged a fierce bombing campaign in support of the Damascus regime since September 2015, a year after the U.S.-led coalition began its own strikes against jihadi groups.

Fateh al-Sham has come under increasing pressure in recent weeks in Idlib province, the only remaining opposition-held province in war-ravaged Syria.

Bombing raids against the group have escalated, including one U.S. strike in January that killed more than 100 fighters at a training camp in Idlib province.

On Tuesday, a Pentagon spokesman said U.S. forces targeted al-Qaida operatives “in two precision strikes” on Feb. 3 and 4.

“The Feb. 4 strike targeted Abu Hani al-Masri, a legacy al-Qaida terrorist with ties to the group’s senior leaders, including Ayman al-Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden,” Eric Pahon said.

“We are assessing the results of those strikes and will announce definitive results as soon as practicable.”

The U.S.-led coalition has mostly focused on Fateh al-Sham’s jihadi rival, the Islamic State group, but it has also hit operatives from other factions.

Rebel groups have held Idlib province since the spring of 2015, four years after the Syria conflict first broke out.</s>People inspect the damage at a site hit by airstrikes in the rebel-held city of Idlib, Syria February 7, 2017. Civil defense members work at a site hit by airstrikes in the rebel-held city of Idlib, Syria February 7, 2017.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Reuters.</s>Beirut: The death toll in airstrikes against Al-Qaeda's former affiliate in Syria in the northwest of the country has risen to 46, including 24 civilians, a monitor said on Wednesday.

The dead included 10 children and 11 women, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, adding that the toll could rise further because of the number of wounded with serious injuries.

The raids hit the headquarters of former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham in Idlib and several adjacent neighbourhoods of the city at dawn on Tuesday.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said he could not determine whether the raids were carried out by Syrian government ally Russia or a US-led coalition battling jihadists.

But Moscow quickly denied on Tuesday that its planes had struck the city.

In recent weeks, Fateh al-Sham has come under increasing in Idlib, the last province in Syria almost entirely in rebel hands.

Bombing raids against the group have escalated, including one US strike on a training camp in January that killed more than 100 fighters.

Rebel groups have held Idlib province since the spring of 2015, four years after the Syrian conflict broke out.

More than 310,000 people have died since the war began and millions have been forced to flee their homes.</s>BEIRUT, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Syrian government jets bombed a rebel-held district of Homs city on Wednesday killing several people, rescue workers and a monitoring group reported.

The raids hit the al-Waer neighbourhood, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Syrian Civil Defence, a rescue service operating in rebel-held territory, said.

The Observatory put the death toll at 8 and more than two-dozen wounded. The Civil Defence did not give a figure.

A military media unit run by Damascus ally Hezbollah said the army had fired rockets at militants in al-Waer, but that the insurgents had fired first. (Reporting by John Davison; Editing by Louise Ireland)</s>Air strikes on Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate in the country's northwest on Tuesday killed 26 people, including civilians, a monitoring group told AFP.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 10 air strikes battered the headquarters of Fateh al-Sham Front and the surrounding neighbourhood in Idlib city at dawn on Tuesday.

"Ten civilians, mostly women, are among the dead," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

"The toll could rise because some people are trapped under the rubble and unaccounted for," he added.

Abdel Rahman said the raids were likely carried out by Russian warplanes -- allied with Syria's government -- or by a US-backed air coalition.

Fateh al-Sham has come under increasing pressure in recent weeks in Idlib province, the only remaining opposition-held province in war-ravaged Syria.

Bombing raids against the group have escalated, including one US strike in January that killed more than 100 fighters at a training camp in Idlib province.

The US-led coalition has mostly focused on Fateh al-Sham's jihadist rival, the Islamic State group, but it has also hit operatives from other groups.

Rebel groups have held Idlib province since the spring of 2015, four years after conflict first broke out in March 2011.</s>BEIRUT — Airstrikes on a rebel-held city in Syria early Tuesday killed at least 15 people, wounded dozens more and demolished several buildings, in one of the deadliest attacks since a cease-fire went into effect last year, Syrian activists and medics said.

The airstrikes hit the city of Idlib, the capital of a northwestern province of the same name that is almost entirely controlled by Syrian rebels and al-Qaida-linked insurgents.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 26 people were killed, including 10 civilians - mostly women. The opposition-run Civil Defense in Idlib says 15 bodies were pulled from the rubble and that 30 people were taken for medical treatment. Conflicting casualty tolls are common in the chaotic aftermath of such attacks.

Opposition activists also reported airstrikes on several suburbs of the capital, Damascus.

The government and the opposition have repeatedly traded accusations of violating the cease-fire, which was brokered by Russia and Turkey and went into effect in December, shortly after the government recaptured the northern city of Aleppo.

The Observatory said it was not clear if the airstrikes were carried out by Syrian, Russian or the U.S.-led coalition that has been targeting the Islamic State group and al-Qaida's affiliate in Syria.

The Russian military denied that its warplanes have attacked Idlib. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said that Russian warplanes haven't conducted a single strike on Idlib this year.

Russia has waged an air campaign in Syria since September 2015, providing a crucial boost for Assad's forces in battles with extremist groups as well as the mainstream opposition.

The airstrikes came a day after Syrian President Bashar Assad said the European Union should have no role in the reconstruction of Syria unless it changes its policy toward the country. He said European countries which support "terrorists" in Syria "cannot destroy and build at the same time." Assad's government views all those fighting against it as terrorists.

In the same interview, given to Belgian media on Monday, Assad said U.S. President Donald Trump's vows to fight terrorism were "promising" but that it's still too early to "expect anything" on the ground. He welcomed the possibility of increased cooperation between the U.S. and his close ally Russia, saying it would be "positive for the rest of the world, including Syria."

When asked about the cease-fire, Assad said "it's not dead, and it's natural in every cease-fire anywhere in the world, in every war, in any conflict, to have these breaches."

Syria's conflict, which began with a 2011 uprising against the Assad family's four-decade rule, has killed an estimated 300,000 people and destroyed much of the country. The U.N. has estimated that reconstruction will cost around $350 billion.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, airstrikes on the rebel-held city of Idlib kill at least 26 people, with the death toll expected to rise.