At least 11 people, including seven civilians, were killed as a result of raids by Russian warplanes on areas in northwestern Syria controlled by opposition fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Sunday.

"Six civilians were killed... as a result of the air raids on Jisr al-Shughur, west of Idlib," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP, in addition to "three military (opposition fighters) in Russian air strikes today on the bridge area" in the same province.

A member of the Civil Defense Council in Idlib, Ahmed Yaziji, said that the raids led to the fall of "nine martyrs," without specifying whether the fighters were included in the toll.

The Observatory and an AFP correspondent at the scene confirmed that the bombing hit a market for vegetables and fruits.

Yaziji considered, "This targeting is a direct targeting of the popular market, which is a basic source of income for farmers."

In addition, Abdul Rahman indicated that a civilian and a fighter were killed in a raid on the outskirts of the city of Idlib, explaining that 30 people were injured as a result of the air raids on Sunday.

It is likely that the number of victims will rise due to the presence of "serious cases" among the injured.

The Observatory's director said that the Russian raids came in response to drone attacks over the past week that killed four civilians, including two children.

Since 2011, Syria has been witnessing a bloody conflict that has killed about half a million people, caused massive destruction to infrastructure and productive sectors, and led to the displacement of millions inside and outside the country.

Since 2015, Russia has provided direct military support to President Bashar al-Assad's forces, which has allowed it, coupled with support also provided by Iran and other allies, to regain control over large areas of the country.

Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) controls about half of Idlib's area and limited adjacent areas from the governorates of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia. The region is home to three million people, the majority of whom are displaced.

Since March 2020, a cease-fire has been in force declared by Moscow, an ally of Damascus, and Turkey, which supports the fighting factions, after a massive attack by the regime forces, during which they managed to control half of Idlib.

The region witnesses from time to time mutual shelling by several parties, as well as raids by the regime forces and Russia, although the ceasefire is still holding to a large extent.

The province has been witnessing, for days, an exchange of shelling at the contact lines, which has resulted in deaths and injuries, including civilians.