Regime attacks kill 9 in Syria’s de-escalation zone

By Hakan Türkmen

IDLIB, Syria (AA) - Nine civilians were killed in regime attacks in de-escalation zone in northern Syria on Saturday, according to sources with the White Helmets civil defense agency.

Regime forces bombarded the town of Arihah in Idlib province and the towns of Al Amqiyah, Morek, Hawash and Al-Zeyarah in Hama province, the sources said.

The attacks on Arihah have left nine people dead and 27 others injured, according to the sources.

Turkey and Russia agreed last September to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

The Syrian regime, however, has consistently broken the terms of the cease-fire, launching frequent attacks inside the de-escalation zone.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in early 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected severity.