Attacks On Rebel-Held Areas Increase Despite Truce

Airstrikes are escalating in Syria's rebel-held northwest, says a war monitor cited by Reuters. 

Thirteen strikes were observed in the Idlib and northern Hama provinces on Tuesday, analysts said.

The pace of attacks is unusual and accelerating, according to the analysts. 

Syrian state media said insurgents had launched rockets at several towns in Hama province, killing one civilian and injuring seven in violation of the de-escalation accord.  

Shelling and aerial strikes have increased over the last 10 days, the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Tuesday.

Violence is concentrated along the highway connecting the capital, Damascus, with the country's second-largest city, Aleppo, said the observatory. 

Thousands of people have fled the rebel-held town of Khan Skeikhoun because of the violence.

The region is covered under an agreement reached by Turkey and Russia in September to avoid major confrontations in the area. Russian airstrikes and small skirmishes have nevertheless continued.