1 killed, 8 injured as Syrian forces attack northwestern Idlib city

IDLIB, Syria

One civilian was killed and eight others injured when the Syrian army attacked northwestern Idlib city on Tuesday, according to Syrian civil defense forces.

The Syrian army stationed in the Seraqib district of Idlib, along with Iran-backed groups, launched the attack on the town of Eriha in southern Idlib using ground-to-ground firing weapons.

The injured were taken to hospitals.

Türkiye, Russia, and Iran created four "de-escalation zones" in Syria in areas not under the control of the Syrian government at a meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan in 2017.

The Damascus administration, Iran-backed terrorists and Russia continued attacks, seized three out of four districts, and headed for Idlib.

Although Türkiye reached an additional agreement with Russia to strengthen the cease-fire in September 2018, the attacks intensified again in May 2019.

After a new cease-fire deal for northwestern Syria was reached between Ankara and Moscow on March 5, 2020, the truce was largely preserved.

Between 2017 and 2020, two million civilians fleeing attacks were forced to migrate to areas near the Turkish border.

*Writing by Esra Tekin in Istanbul