45 civilians killed by Syrian regime shelling: NGO

DAMASCUS

 At least 45 civilians, including a number of women and children, were killed on Friday when the Syrian regime attacked opposition-held positions across the war-torn country, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights.

According to the U.K.-based NGO, which is opposed to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Friday’s attacks included both airstrikes and artillery fire.

The death toll included 19 people killed in the city of Daraa; 12 in Idlib; six each in the Damascus suburbs and Deir ez-Zor; and two in Aleppo, the NGO reported.

According to the UN, more than 220,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in early 2011 between pro-regime forces – which also include Lebanon’s Hezbollah – and armed opposition groups.