Airstrikes in Idlib province leave at least 18 dead

Airstrikes thought to be carried out by Russia in northwestern Syria killed at least 18 civilians on Thursday, including two children, a war monitor said.  

The raids, which hit a residential zone in the area of Zardana in Idlib, also wounded more than 70 people, the White Helmets rescue workers said.

The death toll is expected to increase as more victims are pulled from under the rubble. 

A large crater was seen by an AFP correspondent on the scene in the midst of several low-rise buildings in the area.  

Most of Idlib province lies beyond the regime's control and is held by an array of rebels and jihadists.

Zardana is largely controlled by Islamist rebels, with a small presence of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance led by Syria's former al-Qaeda affiliate.

More than two million people in Idlib currently need humanitarian assistance, including hundreds of thousands of Syrians evacuated from cities captured by the regime in recent months. 

The Syrian regime now controls about half the country's territory after Russia intervened on its ally President Bashar al-Assad's side. 

Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed since the war's outbreak in 2011, mostly by the regime and its powerful allies. Millions have also been displaced both at home and abroad.

The brutal tactics pursued mainly by the regime, which have included the use of chemical weapons, sieges, mass executions and torture against civilians, have led to war crimes investigations.

Agencies contributed to this report.