Air strikes halt in Syria’s Idlib after truce called

Airstrikes on Syria’s northwestern Idlib region stopped yesterday, a war monitor said, after the government agreed to a Russian-backed ceasefire following four months of deadly bombardment.

The truce is the second such agreement since an August 1 ceasefire deal broke down only days after going into effect, prompting Damascus and regime ally Moscow to resume bombardment.

Russia-backed regime forces have been pressing an offensive against the major opposition stronghold in Idlib despite a deal with rebel backer Turkey in September last year to protect the area.

Airstrikes by Damascus and Russia have killed more than 950 civilians since the end of April, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.