Russia intensifies raids on rebel-held Idlib and rural Aleppo in Syria

Russian jets ramped up air strikes on several towns in Syria's rebel-held Idlib province and rural Aleppo, two days after the Assad regime took full control of Syria's largest city of Aleppo.

Rebels and residents said on Saturday that at least eight strikes hit Binish, Saraqeb and Jisr al Shaqour — towns in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib that have been a target of Russia's heavy bombing campaign against rebel-held areas for months.

There were reports of several casualties, mainly among civilians, residents and rebels said.

Russian and Syrian regime jets also launched heavy strikes on rebel-held parts of western and southern rural Aleppo.

The strikes targeted the town of Khan al Asal, about 14 kilometres (9 miles) west of Aleppo, with cluster bombs. Five people, including children, were killed in a similar strike on the nearby town of Al Atareb, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Rebels repulsed an Iranian-backed militia attack to gain ground in the Rashideen area, to the west of Aleppo city.

Meanwhile, Turkish jets killed 68 Daesh members in northern Syria overnight, while furious fighting around the town of Al Bab continued.

TRT World's Francis Collings at the Turkish border city of Gaziantep.

At least 4,000 thousand villages were hit by cluster bombs dropped by war planes in eastern Aleppo.

Alican Ayanlar reports from Syria's Idlib province.