Syrian regime artillery fire kills three civilians in opposition-held Idlib

At least three civilians were killed on Tuesday in artillery attacks by the Syrian regime in Syria’s opposition-held Idlib province, according to local sources.

One civilian was killed as the towns of Kafr Zita, Latamnah and Morek — all located inside Idlib’s de-escalation zone — were targeted by regime artillery fire, Rami Sellul, White Helmets civil-defence agency director, said.

Another two civilians, one of them a child, were killed and six wounded under intense artillery fire against Havir village in western Aleppo province, also inside Idlib's de-escalation zone, Omar Haj Obeida, White Helmets' Aleppo director, said.

A total of 45 civilians were killed in regime's attacks in Idlib between September 17 and December 24 last year, according to Syrian Network for Human Rights report published last month.

Following a September 17 meeting in Sochi between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the two sides agreed to establish a demilitarized zone — in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited — in Idlib.

Under the deal, opposition groups in Idlib were allowed to remain in areas in which they were already present, while Russia and Turkey began carrying out joint patrols in the area to prevent any resumption of fighting.

Hayat Tahrir al Sham which had links to the Al Qaeda terror group also has a presence in Idlib and Turkey accuses the Syrian regime of using HTS as a pretext to bomb the province, placing the lives of around 3 million civilians in danger.