IDLIB, Syria

Four Syrian children were killed on Friday and two civilians injured in shelling by the Assad regime and Iranian-affiliated terror groups, in breach of a truce, according to Syria Civil Defense.

Regime forces stationed in the village of Biske in the northwestern Idlib province violated the cease-fire by shelling villages in the province’s de-escalation zone.

The attack took place in Idlib’s village of Kansafra, said Syria Civil Defense, or White Helmets.

Idlib falls within a de-escalation zone forged under an agreement between Turkey and Russia in March 2020.

The regime, however, has consistently violated the terms, launching frequent attacks inside the de-escalation zone.

Syria has been mired in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

In the past decade, around half a million people have been killed and more than 12 million had to flee their homes.

* Writing by Busra Nur Cakmak