Russian airstrikes reportedly kill 45 in Syria's Latakia

A pro-opposition monitor group said Tuesday that Russian airstrikes on rebel-held areas in the countryside of Syria's coastal city of Latakia on Monday killed 45 people and wounded dozens of others, including rebel commanders.

The Russian air force targeted several areas in al-Akrad Mountain in the northern countryside of Latakia on Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, adding that the dead also included civilians.

The London-based Observatory, which says in depends on activists on the ground inside Syria to garner information, said the death toll could rise due to the large number of people stuck under the rubble.

The Observatory's account on the death of civilians in the recent airstrikes could not be verified independently.

In a separate development, the Observatory said 16 Syrian soldiers were killed in battles in al-Ghab Plains area in the central province of Hama.

Meanwhile, state news agency SANA said on Tuesday that government forces killed 20 rebels in the northern province of Aleppo.

Battles in Syria have flared recently, with the government troops declaring a broad offensive on several rebel-held areas in central and northern Syria, with the help of Russian planes in the air and Iranian militias on the ground.

Russia has been conducting airstrikes on targets in Syria since Sept. 30. Moscow said precision weaponry has been used to hit militant groups' positions. Endit