IDLIB, Syria

At least four people were killed and 17 injured by Syrian regime forces and Iran-backed militias on Wednesday, according to the White Helmets civil-defense agency.  

Mustafa Haj Yousuf, head of the White Helmets, told Anadolu Agency that regime forces and Iran-backed militias had intensified their attacks in rural areas of the Idlib and Hama provinces.

“Regime forces and foreign militias shelled residential areas, including Jisr al-Shughur and Khan al-Subul, killing four civilians and injuring 17 others,” Haj Yousuf said.

Regime attacks in Idlib’s de-escalation zone are estimated to have killed at least 109 civilians -- and injured more than 300 others -- since Jan. 1.

The fresh wave of attacks in Idlib has reportedly led to a new refugee exodus from the towns of Khan Sheikhun and Maaret al-Numan.

Since February, nearly 6,900 families have migrated to safe areas near Turkey's border.

Located in northwestern Syria, Idlib was designated a de-escalation zone -- in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited -- in May of last year.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected severity.

Writing by Maımaıtımıng Yılıxıatı