Russian strikes kill 3 in northern Syria: White Helmets

<p>By Mohamed Misto</p> <p>IDLIB, Syria (AA) – At least three civilians were killed Friday when Russian warplanes attacked residential areas in northern Syria’s de-escalation zones, according to the White Helmets civil-defense agency.</p> <p>The airstrikes targeted the village of Kafar Aweed in Idlib province and the village of Tel Huwash in Hama province, the civil-defense agency said.</p> <p>According to pro-opposition sources, the Russian aircraft took off from the Khmeimim airbase in Syria’s western Latakia province.</p> <p>In a related development, at least one civilian was injured when Syrian regime forces and Iran-back terrorist groups shelled Hama’s villages of Lahaya and Al-Boida and Idlib’s village of Benin, according to the White Helmets.</p> <p>Last September, Turkey and Russia agreed to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression would be strictly prohibited.</p> <p>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.</p>