Syrian regime warplanes kill three civilians in Idlib

By Halit Suleiman

IDLIB, Syria

At least three civilians were killed Monday when Syrian regime warplanes carried out an airstrike in the northwestern city of Idlib, according to a local civil-defense source.

Mohamed Yahiya, a pro-opposition civil defense official based in Idlib, told Anadolu Agency that warplanes had struck a house in Idlib sheltering civilians, killing three and injuring another eight.

Civil defense teams are now in the process of pulling survivors from the rubble, he said, adding that the airstrike had damaged several other homes in the area.

On Dec. 30, a countrywide ceasefire -- mediated by Russia and Turkey -- went into effect in Syria.

Last Tuesday, indirect talks between the Syrian regime and opposition wrapped up in Kazakh capital Astana, with both sides approving the establishment of a tripartite Turkish-Russian-Iranian mechanism for monitoring ceasefire violations.