A Syrian child was killed in shelling by regime forces in Syria's northwestern Idlib province on Tuesday, according to the White Helmets civil defense agency. "Since midnight, regime forces have been targeting Tamaniya village with at least 80 artillery attacks," Mustafa Haj Yusuf, the White Helmets head in Idlib, told Anadolu Agency (AA).
"In the morning hours, a child lost his life in another attack on Jarjnaz village," he added. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed in September 2018, following their talks in Sochi, to establish a demilitarized zone in Idlib in order to decrease tension and prevent a new conflict in the province. The deal was internationally praised as it prevented a humanitarian disaster that would have been inevitable if a comprehensive operation by the regime was conducted. In line with the Sochi agreement, opposition forces withdrew their heavy weapons on Oct. 10. Yet, the regime continues its assault on the region disrupting stability there.
Nevertheless, at least 30 people in Idlib were killed in January, including women and children, while another 180 were injured, in Idlib, Hama and Latakia, by regime drone attacks and artillery fire, according to the White Helmets. Last month also saw the regime target Idlib's southeastern countryside, along with rural parts of the Aleppo, Latakia and Hama provinces.
