HATAY, Turkey

The United Nations sent on Friday humanitarian aid for civilians in Idlib, a war-torn city in northwestern Syria.

The international organization sent 42 truckloads of supplies, which will be distributed among families in the city, as well as rural areas nearby.

The trucks entered the Middle Eastern country through the Cilvegozu border gate in the southern Turkish province of Hatay.

The Bashar al-Assad regime continues intensified air and land attacks on civilian settlements in Idlib de-escalated zone despite cease-fire.

In September 2018, Turkey and Russia agreed to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited. But more than 1,300 civilians have been killed in attacks by the regime and Russian forces in the zone since then as the ceasefire continues to be violated.

On Jan. 10, Turkey announced that a new ceasefire in Idlib would start just after midnight on Jan. 12. However, the regime and Iran-backed terrorist groups continued their ground attacks.

More than 1.3 million Syrians have moved near the Turkish border due to intense attacks over the last year.

Turkey remains the country with most refugees as it has hosted over 3.7 million migrants since the start of the civil war in Syria in 2011.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar