Russian airstrikes kill 5 in Syria’s Idlib

At least five people were killed and 30 others injured as Russian warplanes carried out airstrikes Thursday in Syria's northern province of Idlib, which is part of a de-escalation zone, according to a local civil-defense official.

Mostafa Haj Youssef, director of Syria's White Helmets civil-defense force in Idlib, told Anadolu Agency that Russian warplanes had targeted a number of residential areas in the evening hours.

Four people were killed in the Maaret al-Numan district and one other in the Saraqib district, according to Yusuf.

"Russian warplanes used napalm bombs, which is forbidden [...] according to international laws," he said.

Located in northern Syria near the Turkish border, Idlib falls within a network of de-escalation zones -- endorsed by Turkey, Russia and Iran -- in which acts of aggression are expressly forbidden.

Nevertheless, since early last December, airstrikes on opposition-held parts of the province have seen an uptick, with over 100 civilians reportedly killed and scores more injured.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating civil war that began in early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.