Regime shelling kills 7 in Syria's Homs

By Ahmed al-Hamsi

HOMS, Syria

At least seven civilians were killed in an overnight shelling by regime forces in western Syria, according to local activists on Saturday.

The artillery shelling targeted a neighborhood in Homs' northern countryside, a statement said.

Dozens of civilians were injured in the attack, which has caused heavy damage in the area, it added.

Home to nearly 250,000 people, Homs' northern countryside has been reeling under a crippling regime siege since 2012.

At least 140 people have been killed in airstrikes by regime forces and Russian warplanes in Syria's Idlib province since Sept. 19, according to Anadolu Agency correspondents based in the area.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN officials.