IDLIB, MAR 21 – At least six civilians, including a child and a woman, were killed and 15 others injured in an attack by the Bashar al-Assad regime forces and Iran-backed terror groups in Idlib, northern Syria, according to local sources.

The artillery attack targeted a hospital in the Al Atarib town, which falls within a de-escalation zone, Ibrahim Abu Layis, the head of the Syrian Civil Defense (White Helmets) media office, told Anadolu Agency.

“As a result of the attack, six civilians, including a child and a woman, lost their lives. 15 people were injured, four of them critically,” he said, adding that civil defense teams rushed the injured to nearby hospitals.

Idlib de-escalation zone was forged under an agreement between Turkey and Russia. The area has been the subject of multiple cease-fire understandings, which have frequently been violated by the Assad regime and its allies.

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

More than 5 million civilians have since been displaced.