Russian airstrikes kill 5 in Syria's Idlib

By Esref Musa and Burak Karacaoglu

IDLIB, Syria (AA) – At least five civilians have been killed in airstrikes on residential areas in Syria’s de-escalation zones, according to the White Helmets civil defense agency on Saturday.

The airstrikes targeted the Idlib province's Kawkaba and Al-fakli villages as well as Hama province's Amkiyya village, the agency said.

The White Helmets said the deaths occurred in Amkiyya village.

According to opposition sources, a Russian aircraft took off from the Khmeimim airbase in Syria’s western Latakia province and carried out the attacks.

Last September, Turkey and Russia agreed to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression would be strictly prohibited.

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