(Zaman Al Wasl)- A Russian airstrike on a market in northwest Syria killed 28 civilians Monday, an activist group said, in the latest violence to plague the country's last major opposition bastion.
At least 100 other people were wounded in the raid that hit "a wholesale vegetable market in the town of Maaret al-Numan", the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Russian and regime fighter jets have since late April ramped up deadly bombardment of the Idlib region of some 3 million people in northwest Syria, despite a deal to avert a massive regime assault.
About 700 civilians have been killed in deadly campaign, monitoring groups and activists say.
On Monday, Syrian first responders and activists said regime bombing on Idlib province has killed at least 11 civilians.
The Observatory said six people were killed, including a child, in the regime bombing of the village of Urum al-Joz south of Idlib. The opposition-operated Shaam news agency says those killed had been displaced from the southern tip of the rebel stronghold.
Rescue workers, known as Syria's Civil Defense or White Helmets, say three children and a woman were killed in Kfaruma, south of Urum al-Joz. A prominent White Helmet volunteer was killed in the town of Khan Sheikhoun, the group says.
Anas Diab was also an active citizen journalist who covered most of rename and Russian assaults on Khan Sheikhoun, including the chemical attack in April 2017.
In relevant development, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Monday that if a planned safe zone in northern Syria is not established, and if threats continue against Turkey, a military operation will be launched east of the Euphrates river.
Turkey has been in talks with the United States over the establishment of a safe zone across its border in northeast Syria, where the United States supports the Kurdish YPG militia. Ankara sees the YPG as a terrorist organization.
In an interview with broadcaster TGRT Haber, Cavusoglu also said he hopes an agreement will be reached after talks Monday with U.S. special envoy for Syria James Jeffrey, who is visiting Ankara.
Syria's war has killed more than 560,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 with a brutal crackdown on anti-regime protests. (Zaman Al Wasl, Agencies)
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