Syria flare-up kills 35 fighters, 10 civillians

Smoke billows from buildings in the jihadist-held village of Tal Maleh in northwest Syria's Hama province on June 9, 2019 as pro-regime forces pound the site. [AFP]

At least 10 civilians and 35 combatants, mostly pro-regime forces, were killed Saturday in clashes and air strikes that erupted at dawn in northwestern Syria, a war monitor said.

The flare-up came as Russian-backed regime forces tried to retake two villages seized by jihadists and allied rebels earlier this month, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.