Twenty-four civilians were killed by airstrikes and artillery fire in the opposition-held Syrian province of Idlib on Tuesday.

Nine people, including three children, died when warplanes bombed the town of Talmenes. Meanwhile, the wife and three children of one of the group's volunteers were among six members of the same family killed when shells hit Badama village.

An airstrike on the town of Maasaran reportedly killed another six people.

A ceasefire negotiated by Russia, whose military campaign in support of Mr Assad has turned the tide of the eight-year civil war in his favour, and Turkey, which backs the opposition, halted a government assault on Idlib in August.

However, skirmishes and bombardments are still an almost daily occurrence. On 7 December, airstrikes on opposition-held areas reportedly killed 20 people.

Nine of the deaths were in the village of Balyoun, where a market was hit.

Idlib is the last major region still held by rebel fighters and jihadists opposed to President Bashar al-Assad.