Syrian opposition activists say airstrikes and shelling by government forces have killed at least 18 people in a city in the country's south.

The activists say three children are among those killed. The death toll is likely to increase because many of the wounded are in critical condition.

Thursday's shelling in the city of Daraa struck an area known as Daraa al-Balad. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 18 people were killed while an activist in Daraa province put the number at 21.

The shelling comes amid heightened clashes in southern Syria between government forces and rebels who seized the nearby ancient town of Busra Sham a day earlier.


Heavy fighting raged around the city of Idlib in northwestern Syria on Thursday as rebels pressed their offensive against the government stronghold.

An array of armed opposition groups have advanced through the outskirts of Idlib, the provincial capital and home to some 165,000 people, since launching their campaign Tuesday. Rebels have long controlled most of the surrounding towns and countryside, but President Bashar Assad's forces have maintained their hold on the city.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the rebels have seized at least 17 checkpoints and military outposts from pro-Assad troops. It said at least 11 government fighters and 17 rebels have been killed over the past 24 hours.

The offensive is being led by several groups, including al-Qaida's branch in Syria, known as the Nusra Front, as well as the ultra-conservative Ahrar al-Sham and Jund al-Aqsa groups.

A photograph posted Thursday on a Twitter account run by the Nusra Front's Idlib unit showed what it said was the group's black flag being raised over a captured government checkpoint north of the city.

Late Wednesday, Syria's state news agency said the army killed "tens of terrorists" on the eastern side of Idlib. The government refers to Assad's opponents as "terrorists."

AP